Following your path

Gretchen Knoblock:

Empire resident Gretchen Knoblock’s connection to Leelanau County goes back to her high school years, where her first impression of the area — one that felt like peace and a sense of home — led her to fall in love with the abundance of natural beauty and, eventually, to return to the region.

Born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois on Chicago’s north shore, Knoblock said she and her family relocated to Indianapolis after completing her sophomore year of high school. Her mother sought to seek an alternative school for Knoblock’s junior and senior years, and while searching, came across The Leelanau School in Glen Arbor.