Clarkston-born, hardworking mom, and local Clarkston advocate, Katie Hess, is an outstanding member of the community.
In 1999, Hess was a part of the first CHS graduating class to attend the new building. Her husband Larry also grew up in Clarkston, graduating in 1989. Growing up, Hess learned many lessons. “I think my entire high school career was learning that the things that feel big will feel small if you just wait a little bit,” Hess said.
“As an adult, I think it’s really easy to talk yourself out of things because you start feeling like maybe you’ll be judged or what will other people think of this, but I think the older you get, the more you realize that you overthink more things about yourself and focus more on the details than anyone else will, so just move forward with what you want to do.”
Hess wants to share the message that when you’re young, things in life appear more complex than they truly are. She warns not to “sweat the small stuff,” and that “everything works out in the end.”
Hess is a dental hygienist working for Dr. Gary Fiteny. She has been working as a hygienist for 20 years and enjoys it immensely. In addition to being a dental hygienist, Hess and her friend created the Connecting Clarkston podcast. On this podcast, they often talk to people about what brought them to the community, sharing residents’ personal stories. “We also have a lot of conversations with people who grew up here, moved away, and then came back to Clarkston,” Hess said. Together, they also created Clarkstonopoly, a Clarkston-themed monopoly board, and the Connecting Clarkston app where they share things like the local calendar, publications, events, etc.
“An important lesson is to not overanalyze things; sometimes a good idea is a good idea and you should just move forward with it instead of talking yourself out of it,” Hess said.
Hess enjoys living in Clarkston and says it’s a great place to have a family and raise children, exclaiming, “It gives that kind of small-town feel, but we’re still centrally located, where you can easily get to other neighboring communities.”
All in all, Katie Hess has made a great impact in the Clarkston community through her dedication to her profession and her creativity in her podcast. She would like to be remembered as “somebody who is very passionate, very giving, always thinking about others, would go above and beyond, and not conforming to the norm, just doing bigger and better things.”
