“As someone who only wished to be an actress and never attend college, I was filled with great anxiety and doubt when I made the decision to enroll at Fresno City College,” Grace Morrow said. “When I look back today, I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities presented to me that allowed me to feel a sense of belonging and continue my higher education experience. This first-hand experience is what drives my motivation to build a safe and welcoming environment wherever I go.”
Marrow believes in the “domino effect” and how one person can directly impact the events of another’s life. She hopes to inspire a passion and love for learning that has converted her from a skeptic to a believer.
“I want to show these students that their dreams and aspirations are valid and to be there with them, guiding them as much as possible.”
Grace Morrow is an undergraduate student receiving her B.A. in art history and is the undergraduate Student of Distinction from the Department of Art, Design and Art History. In 2022, Morrow received her A.A. in art history with the highest honors from Fresno City College. She transferred to Fresno State the following year.
“As an art history major, I aim to connect students to history and cultures from around the world and the profound impact they have had throughout time,” said Morrow.
Morrow is currently a mentor at Fresno City College’s Extending the Class peer-tutoring program and the president of the Art History Club at Fresno State.
“Grace is responsible, hard-working, and always eager to enrich her education with extra work experience and service, as her curriculum demonstrates,” said Dr. Luis Gordo Peláez, assistant professor of art history.
During her studies, Morrow’s experiences made her realize how male-dominated the art industry is and the need to highlight women’s impact in the field. Following her graduation, she hopes to pursue this in the master’s program at Fresno State and focus her thesis on unknown female artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood movement, such as Evelyn de Morgan and Elizabeth Siddal.
“While women were key to being muses of the male artists, little is known about the influence and skill of the female artists in general,” Morrow said. “It is my duty as a future art historian to create a space for more dialogue about female artists and the feminist movement as a whole and as such, show females that they do belong in this field.”
Upon graduation, Morrow hopes to give back to the community at the institutions that profoundly impacted her life. She intends to teach art history at Fresno State or Fresno City College, empowering students and showing them that they belong, a feeling she overcame during her time in higher education.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 