Grace Zinda, a senior marketing major at Viterbo University, graduates this semester on December 13, 2025. After graduation, Zinda plans to volunteer in Peru at Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II and begin her MBA program. During her time at Viterbo, she found a second home and served to make campus a better place for all students. This year, her service was recognized with the St. Catherine’s Medal.
Zinda has been involved in numerous clubs and organizations, including Campus Ministry, Service Saturdays, Honors Program, the St. Francis Choir, Servant Leadership Club, Marketing Club, Fiber Arts Club, and Chess Club. She was an orientation leader for three years and is currently a tour guide and co-president of the Residence Hall Association.
As well as these on-campus activities, Zinda also participated in service immersion trips, including two pilgrimages to Peru. These study abroad opportunities, sponsored by Campus Ministry, occurred in May 2024 and again in March 2025. The first trip was ten days long, which she describes as feeling too short. “I just fell in love with it right away, I didn’t want to leave,” Zinda explains. After graduation, she will volunteer at the same site in Peru for three months. Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II, located in Lurín, Peru, is a home for the youth which also accepts volunteers to serve the children and the community.
In addition to her work in Peru, Zinda will pursue her Masters in Business Administration through Viterbo University. “I just hope to gain knowledge about business and hopefully use it in the way that God wants me to,” she says. Zinda expects that her education at Viterbo and experience in Peru will lead her to work with nonprofit organizations in the future.
Reflecting on her college experience, Grace Zinda advises students to try new things and go to events, even if there is no one else to go with. She speaks on the importance of meeting new people, being yourself, and believing in your ability to do hard things. “College goes by way too quickly, but it’s important to know that you’re being who you are and doing what you’re supposed to be doing, while having that college experience,” she says.
Viterbo University has been crucial in providing Zinda with a foundation and network of support. Viterbo is her second home, and students across campus express that Zinda has been essential to making Viterbo home for them, too. She is described as a compassionate, vivacious, and resilient individual. At the VIC Student Recognition Awards on April 15, 2025, Zinda was awarded the St. Catherine’s Medal, to honor her high ideals of a Catholic college education and fulfillment of Viterbo’s core values.
