Honoring Others through Stories: Kara Grace Hess ’27

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Kara Grace Hess ’27

Filled with a desire to better understand systems in the world and connect with diverse people groups, Kara Grace Hess ’27 felt drawn to anthropology early on in her college career. After taking the introductory class, Cultural Anthropology, she felt at home with the methods anthropologists use to conduct research and understand different cultural systems. “Anthropology has encouraged me to be aware and knowledgeable of the different people in a space and in conversations,” she said. “Studying Anthropology and Spanish has equipped me to interact even better in cross-cultural situations.” 

Anthropologists often lean on interviews, observational skills, and immersive environments to aid their research, and Hess applies these skills to her work at The Wheaton Record, Wheaton’s student-run newspaper. As a Christian, she also sees this as a practice of loving her neighbors. Ultimately, both journalism and anthropology are efforts to honor other people. “I’ve started to see journalistic writing, reporting, and interviewing as a form of ministry, and that has been really special,” said Hess. “It’s such a privilege to speak with so many students, professors, and speakers. Their honesty and courage to share their stories with me have only made my writing better and increased my ability to see a fuller picture as I learn how to best represent the truth in what I write.” 

Last summer, Hess took her learning slightly off campus through Wheaton in the Northwoods (WIN), a May-term for undergraduates. These classes are held at HoneyRock, Wheaton’s Center for Leadership Development. After hearing glowing reviews from friends, Hess took History of Sports and Christianity in America, taught by Professor of History Dr. Karen Johnson, with two other students. Although the small class differed from what Hess expected, she was grateful for how Johnson could personalize the course for each student. “Being in a small class was great,” Hess said. “We had many discussions, and each of us was able to actively participate.”

Through those discussions, documentaries, and hands-on activities, Hess developed a deeper understanding of athletics and gained language to address certain patterns she has observed. “We talked about the idea that history is not just the past,” said Hess. “We’re living history every day and are impacted by the consequences of that history. We can also trace how history has evolved. For example, we looked at the origins of various gender dynamics in sports and expectations related to them, which helped me better understand dynamics I see in the present day.”

The class was also applicable to Hess’s experiences on the Wheaton swim team. She has swum competitively since age seven, and for the last two and a half years, she has not only refined her athleticism but also found a family. “We spend more than 20 hours a week with each other in the pool, in the weight room, doing devotionals, eating meals together, and sometimes doing fun activities together on the weekends,” Hess said. “I’ve had the opportunity to develop some of my greatest friends on the team. In the pool and out of the pool, we uplift each other.”

In the spring of 2026, Hess will begin the next part of her Wheaton journey—a Human Needs and Global Resources (HNGR) internship. “I hope to build community and partner with an organization in a Spanish-speaking context, ideally Puerto Rico, to connect to my Puerto Rican heritage,” Hess said. “I want to work with locals to pursue justice and peacemaking while also growing in my Spanish-speaking skills. By being there by myself, I look forward to seeing how I will learn and grow in many different ways.”