Hannah Ireland ’21
After experiencing smaller, discussion-based classes her senior year of high school, Hannah Ireland ’21 was looking for a similar experience from her college experience.
When she toured Hanover, she saw the connections students created with their professors and peers. She says, “I wanted to be fostered in an environment that was more based on ‘it takes a village to raise and develop a child.’” Ireland fell in love and told her family Hanover was the choice and there was no other school she wanted to attend.
A Terre Haute, Ind. native, Ireland has majored in elementary education and minored in French. She’s been involved with academic honor societies, like Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Sigma Iota, along with being on the Dean’s List each term. Ireland was also awarded second place for the 2021 Hilda M. Cordrey Award.
Ireland has taken the opportunity to be a leader and mentor on campus and within the Greek Life community. She has served as a Peer Advisor during orientation week, a tutor in the Gladish Learning Center, a videographer for Hanover’s Athletics livestream, vice president of programming for Panhellenic Council, and a sister of Kappa Alpha Theta.
As she prepares to graduate and enter the workforce as a teacher, Ireland gives thanks to her faculty mentors, specifically Dr. Deborah Hanson and Dr. Ann Kirkland. She explains, “They have inspired me because of their dedication to their designations, their insane amount of knowledge, and their high expectations for their students. Both women have molded me and mentored me through my three years on campus, and as a future teacher, I only hope to be half as amazing as them.”
But, before she leaves, Ireland is ready to experience her first May Term, as she studied abroad her first year and last year, it was canceled due to COVID-19. She also hopes to visit the hiking trails on campus: “I want to hike down to Buddha’s Belly. I am not much of a nature person, but I cannot consider myself a true Hanoverian if I didn’t hike the trails.” Ireland plans to teach in the Terre Haute community and, when it’s safe again, teach abroad.
