Alair Ferguson Hautzinger

On paper, Alair Ferguson Hautzinger `25 has accomplished more than most in her four years at Grinnell College. She is a triple-major, a Grinnell Advocate, a member of the Economics Student Educational Policy Committee (SEPC) and has studied abroad. And yet, none of these things are her day-to-day priority, as there was one common focus in everything she said — love. 

When Ferguson Hautzinger arrived at Grinnell from Colorado Springs, Colo., she noticed there was something missing that her hometown possessed. As she looked out towards the horizon, Ferguson Hautzinger saw no changes in elevation. “Coming to a place without mountains was jarring for me, and it took me a while to adjust,” she said. As someone who appreciates experiencing the outdoors, Ferguson Hautzinger said Grinnell’s lack of immediate access to nature was a difficult fact to accept. 

Even though Grinnell was immediately different from home, a part of Ferguson Hautzinger’s identity already resided in the Jewel of the Prairie. “My grandfather and my grandmother met when they were at Grinnell,” she said, adding that her uncle met his wife at Grinnell as well, and two of her cousins have attended the school. 

As she progressed through the school that had seen her relatives do the same numerous times, Ferguson Hautzinger said she felt that Grinnell truly was a place of belonging, noting that her and her three-time roommate Ella Battista `25 simultaneously began calling the school “home.” 

Ferguson Hautzinger said her time at Grinnell has never truly followed a linear path, which may seem inconsistent with her status as a triple-major. In fact, she had no intentions of studying the eventual trio of economics, math and French. Ferguson Hautzinger said that she came to Iowa with the goal of being a political science major, and initially picked up a statistics concentration. 

Ferguson Hautzinger credits Economics Professor Tamara McGavock as a major influence for her, and Ferguson Hautzinger’s exposure to economics led to her eventual declaration of the major. The other two majors, however, came about in a less traditional sense. “Econ in general was even the reason I’m doing the math major,” Ferguson Hautzinger said, stating that at one point she completed a four-year plan and realized she only needed to switch one class to finish a math major rather than a statistics concentration.

Ferguson Hautzinger said that the French major came about somewhat more intentionally. As someone who had studied in Brazil and Madagascar in high school, Ferguson Hautzinger said Grinnell’s off-campus study program appealed to her. “I definitely came into Grinnell knowing I was going to go abroad, like that was a non-negotiable for me,” she said. In her third year, she studied in Aix-en-Provence in southern France, gaining her third language fluency, behind English and Portuguese. 

Aside from her proficiency in academics, Ferguson Hautzinger has found another home in being an Advocate. She said helping her peers through situations of sexual assault and harrassment is a pride of hers, which stems from when her mother taught a course on sexual assault in Brazil at Colorado College. 

After graduation, Ferguson Hautzinger will be working in Santa Monica, Calif. as an economic consultant, a career path she learned about from McGavock.

Ferguson Hautzinger’s impressive personal accomplishments could be a story of their own. However, her story would be nowhere near complete without mention of those she loves, which she made clear through a few stories she told.

Every day, Ferguson Hautzinger said she has found time to call those she loves most — her parents, her sister Marley and her partner Alex. “My sister and I talking every day has been a huge part of my support system,” she said. Alex and herself first met when she was 11, and have been in a four-year long-distance relationship. “Thank god for FaceTime,” she said, adding that the effort of calling him daily is far preferable to the potential pain of losing that relationship. Even with her tremendous amount of schoolwork, Ferguson Hautzinger said she focuses on the people that she loves most. 

On Sunday, April 27, Ferguson Hautzinger’s grandfather passed away. “It’s kind of sad to think that his youngest grandchild he won’t get to see graduate his alma mater,” she said. While this is undoubtedly a heartbreaking event, Ferguson Hautzinger’s reaction fits with her earlier answers in her appreciation of her loved ones. “But I also know that he passed at the right time for him, and I’m just really grateful that he went in grace and with dignity and with no pain.” 

Ferguson Hautzinger mentioned her family numerous times, and each time spoke more fondly of them. Through all of her answers, it is apparent that Ferguson Hautzinger is more than a successful Grinnell student. Beyond her academic achievements, Alair Ferguson Hautzinger’s defining characteristic is that she loves and cares no matter what.