Profile Feature on Zoe Wallis Grossinger
Northwestern Sophomore Zoe Grossinger greatly values making strong connections with others, searching for these connections led her to work for the Hillary Clinton campaign and go to sleepaway camp.
“Zoe gravitates more towards activities that allow her to form connections like being in school plays or going to camp, and she always forms deep connections with the people there and wants to foster those connections,” said Grossinger’s cousin Jessie Levit.
Sitting in a black leather chair wearing a tie-dye black and white shirt, leggings and black sneakers, Grossinger describes herself as understanding, funny, and living her life searching to make genuine connections with anyone she encounters. She has a relaxed posture and laughs at this description of herself, albeit it being true.
“She cares about the people she loves, she’s just like a genuinely good person which is kinda hard to find,” said Grossinger’s friend, Alice Schmidt.
Living with the mantra “it’ll all be okay, and if it’s not it’ll still be okay,” Grossinger always looks for the best in every situation. She started at Northwestern winter quarter instead of Fall quarter, something unusual for new freshmen. Although it was extremely hard coming to Northwestern a quarter late and having her class schedule messed up because Grossinger had four less credits than her peers, she said it was definitely for the better because she wasn’t starting school burdened with medical or emotional conflicts.
Rather than sulking, Grossinger made the best of the situation, taking the opportunity to volunteer on Clinton’s campaign instead. Working October to November, she cold-called many individuals and worked as a canvasser in order to persuade many to support Clinton. Grossinger said she frequently offered to get her bosses her favorite smoothie in the campaign office, the Protein Buster, and then she treated her bosses to it because she felt they worked incredibly hard.
Canvassing on the streets were the hardest part of Grossinger’s experience as it stressed her out “because people were being mean, so then I came back, but I went back another day and faced my fear of talking to strangers,” Grossinger said.
When she wasn’t canvassing, Grossinger went into the campaign office at random times in the day and most of her time there was spent talking on the phone to convince potential voters to vote for Clinton.
“For Zoe, this was eye opening to do this every day to see how much support you have to have but it’s still yet not enough,” said Grossinger’s mom, Roslyn Grossinger.
Grossinger said one of the most important places to her is sleepaway camp, at Camp Timber Tops in Philadelphia, Pa. She began a little later than most girls by starting in eighth grade when most girls start in fourth grade. Going to camp was hard at first for her because she didn’t know anyone, which forced her to talk to unfamiliar people and make new friends. Despite her later start, she said her bunk mates became her sisters.
“My bunk mates made me a shirt instead, awarding me ‘best bunk mate.’ It was the sweetest thing and honestly made me scream-cry the whole evening,” Grossinger said.
Grossinger loved camp so much that after going as a camper, she returned back as a counselor. She is still in contact with her campers and loves to catch up with them anytime she can, Grossinger said.
“Zoe loves to meet people, get to know them and find out about them and have them in her life, more than just a person, she wants be a friend,” said Grossinger’s mom.
Grossinger spends her life fostering connections and through this, shapes her life into ways she can connect with anyone.