After graduating from the University of Delaware with a degree in political science and mass communications in 2018, Grace spent most of her time in or adjacent to the public sector. From working on political campaigns to working within legislative bodies, or for non-profits, she always wanted to work for a better future.
“So much of the pain and suffering that we see today is because governments work for the wealthy few instead of the many.”
As the wealth gap continues to grow, there are fewer politically acceptable ways to fight the cycle of poverty.
“Right out of college, I worked on a lot of criminal justice related issues, and one of the reasons that we have so much mass incarceration is because we spent much of our recent past criminalizing poverty.”
While she acknowledges that there are different solutions to different types of poverty, one of the things she admires about Habitat for Humanity is how it creates a source of generational wealth.
“Owning a house is so much more than a place to live. It allows a family or individual to grow wealth, and have a sense of stability that you don’t always get with rentals.”
Grace loves that Habitat for Humanity works toward long term solutions, and is excited to be part of the Snohomish County affiliate in the upcoming year. She will be using her communications background to serve as the Marketing and Communications coordinator through the AmeriCorps VISTA program.
“We need to embrace the idea of housing as a human right.” – Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julián Castro.