Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Gross.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Katherine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In my final years of high school, I was dead set on opening up my own coffee shop and nothing could stray me from that path. As I entered college at Kennesaw State with that goal in mind, I began taking legitimate business classes and very quickly realized that this was not what I wanted to do with the next 4+ years of my life. I called my mom after failing my third Financial Accounting test and she suggested I switch my major because I was so obviously unhappy. She suggested an Integrative Studies major and so, I almost immediately went to speak with an advisor. The advisor described that Integrative Studies allows students to design a customized and specific course of study to best suit their educational and professional objectives. So basically, I get to choose two concentrations without having to go through the designated process of a normal major and minor. I was on board right away but the question that was left remaining was what exactly am I going to study? I began to scan what classes I was currently in and realized the one I was the most invested in, and the one I had honestly been the most interested in since I got to KSU, was my Love and Sex class. From then on, I decided to set myself on the path of Gender and Women’s Studies and I haven’t looked back since but it was a combination of my Transnational Feminisms and Gender in Pop Culture classes along with me being huge supporter of education in sex and the very supportive and lovely professors that made me want to be a writer. I write specifically about matters that have to do with sex education, sexuality/gender, feminism, etc. My ultimate goal is to educate people.
Has it been a smooth road?
I mean just outside of obstacles in school, there’s also a lot of emotion that falls into the work that I am trying to pursue. There have been many times where I think too much about my own writing and fear that I’m speaking for people when that’s the exact opposite of my intentions. Not to mention, just day to day life of being in school and working consistently can be overwhelming.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a writer and I focus on Gender and Women’s Studies issues such as sex education, sexuality/gender, transnational feminism, pop culture, and so on. I am proud that I’ve gotten so many people around me excited/interested in these topics just by inviting them into conversations or initiating conversations with them. I’m 20 years old and it can seem like a fairly young age to start this path but I don’t think just my age sets me apart but where I’m from. I grew up in Kennesaw and just being in the South, people don’t always want to discuss these types of issues and topics. The people that know me or even just follow me on Instagram are very well aware of how I stand.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Atlanta is a great place for my writing! We have so many wonderful blogs and magazines just based out of the city that would be a perfect platform for me and honestly so many others. I personally think starting out as a freelance writer gives someone a lot of power and opportunity to grow and develop their style.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kgross7.myportfolio.com/work
- Email: katherine.gross1522@gmail.com
- Instagram: katherinegross
Image Credit:
Horacio Arias
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