Hannah is the daughter of Isaac and Amy. Hannah gives her family a lot of credit for where she is today, “My family is a huge part of my success as a student. Whether it be my mom and dad always pushing me to be the best person or my sister giving me advice on my academics and life. I was raised in a family who has always celebrated the little things. In the past, some things we have celebrated are positive semester-end grades, doing well on a test, no missing assignments, and extra effort on class work. I believe that celebrating these accomplishments helped motivate me with my studies by getting my work done and being okay with putting forward a great effort but not always getting the results that I wanted. These skills have helped me grow and succeed in other parts of my life such as sports and work. Though I have had success in many aspects, I have also experienced times when things didn't turn out the way I had hoped or I didn’t achieve what I was striving for. My family has helped me realize that it is okay as long as I tried my best. In our free time our family is always at the gym. We spend almost every Tuesday, Thursday, and sometimes Fridays in the gym. As a competitive family there is nothing we would rather be doing.”

At Royalton High School, Hannah is involved in activities such as: volleyball, basketball, and golf. Hannah believes all these activities have been beneficial for her with each offering her different skills. “I am involved in a variety of sports, mainly volleyball, basketball, and golf. I enjoy being a part of a chosen family that is formed with each sport. The drive to do well for your teammates and coaches during games or practice is something that is not found anywhere else. I believe that everyone should try a sport in their lifetime due to the number of skills such as responsibility, leadership, and teamwork you practice while playing. These are life lessons that have helped me get through adversity in my school work and personal life and are skills that I will take into my adult life.

Outside of school Hannah spends a lot of her time teaching others. “Outside of school I am a volleyball coach for our JO program as well as teaching 1st grade religion. I look forward to both of these activities due to the fact I am growing in my learning as well as teaching the younger generation. The amount of joy in the younger generation when they have something click in their brain is one of the reasons why I love to do it. By participating in these activities, I am able to learn how to think on the fly as well as learning more responsibility. These are life skills that I will use throughout my life similar to the skills that sports have taught me.”

When it comes to her classes Hannah says her favorite class has been her art class. “My favorite class throughout high school is my art independent that I am currently in. I am able to work at my own pace and produce art projects that mean something to me. There are many classes that have the work laid out for you on the first day of class. In my independent I am able to walk into the class and do something different every day. Another reason I like this class is I share this independent with many friends. Every day is like a social hour with friends while producing art. Most of my time so far has been spent making clay projects on the wheel, however, in the future I will be working on creating paintings. I am super excited to display my work in the upcoming school art show in May alongside my friends!”

As for a favorite teacher Hannah looked at not just one but a few that have impacted her academic career, “I am very blessed to have lived in Royalton my whole life for the fact that I am able to see the teachers that shaped me at a young age frequently. In elementary school my favorite teacher was Mrs. Carlson who taught fourth grade. Walking into her class she made each and every one of her students feel special. I was able to work at a pace that helped me learn that best. She also was the type of teacher who made her lessons fun. Instead of packets of paper based off of a PowerPoint, she made things interactive for us. I believe that is what made her class my favorite. Moving onto middle school was a big change for me. We started to have different teachers for different subjects as well as opening lockers with a combination. The transition also brought a different building with all new teachers. I quickly realized that Mrs. Schreifels was the teacher that I was going to rely on when I needed help. She was there to talk if a student needed help and was more than happy to come in early or stay a little late if I needed help on anything. She truly wants all of her students to succeed not only in the classroom but life as well. After middle school the transition to high school was super simple. My junior year I took composition with Mrs. Menden and she quickly became my favorite teacher I had ever had. Taking her class meant I was about to get swamped with homework, however, I came into class with a smile on my face because just being in her class made me happy. Having her as a teacher made the workload more bearable. When I started her class the first day of junior year, I was a terrible writer. Today, because of the effort and time she dedicated to teaching me, I am able to write papers and produce speeches at the college level. This was no easy feat for her so, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to take her class.”

Hannah’s favorite memory happened this past fall during volleyball, “My favorite high school memory was during this year's volleyball season when I hit my goal of reaching 1,000 career digs. This moment was super special to me because of all the hard work I have put into getting better and allowing myself to strive for a goal that not many players accomplish. What made it feel even more special was the amount of support I had from my coaches, teammates, classmates, friends, family, and community. It would not have been the same without the support of everyone behind me. From the beginning when I established my goal my family, friends, and coaches have helped me push myself even when I was tired and wanted to give up on my dream.”

As for the single best activity Hannah has been involved with in high school, was during her freshman basketball season, “The best activity I was involved in was my freshman year playoff basketball game against Holdingford. This had the potential to be my last basketball game I would play with my older sister, Aubrey, we were the number 13 seed while Holdingford was the number 4 seed. Everyone thought this game was a definite loss for us due to the seedings and that they had beat us twice in regular season pretty handedly. Our team decided that was not the narrative we wanted so we took them into overtime and beat them by 4. The sheer excitement from our team, coaches, and the crowd was amazing. The cherry on top was the fact that they were our biggest rivals since moving into the CMC conference. This day and all the excitement will be with me for the rest of my life.”

For next year, Hannah is heading to the University of North Dakota, “After high school I plan to attend the University of North Dakota Grand Forks to pursue a degree in criminal justice then, further my education and attend law school to become an attorney. With my law degree I plan to be an estate or family attorney with my own practice serving the central Minnesota area. I choose this field of study because I have always been interested in the criminal justice system as well as the part lawyers or attorneys play in the system. Another part of the job that drew me to this is the fact that I get to interact with people along with helping them with their legal needs.”

When asked where she wants to be in 10 years, Hannah had this to say. “In 10 years, I see myself graduating with a Bachelors and Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Dakota. After graduating, I plan to own my own law firm or work in a firm that will lead me to accomplish my goal of owning one. By this point, I hope to be married and start a family when my spouse and I are financially able to do so. These goals are important to me because I am a very family-oriented person and strive to be the best at what I do.”

Hannah’s advice to high school freshmen is this, “Be as active in as many extracurricular offerings as possible. Whether it be a part of the drama club, managing a sports team, or playing a sport I believe every student should be involved. This is where you will meet a lot of your friends for the next four years. In addition to being involved I would tell younger kids to enjoy it while you can. It is such a cliché but you never know what you have until it's gone and it goes by so fast.”