Rewind to 17-year-old Hannah making one of the hardest decisions of her life: University of Utah or University of Southern California. We all know how that decision panned out. But it wasn’t because I was dying to start my degree in journalism in Salt Lake City; I was offered direct admission to the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s program, giving me major status as a freshman, which isn’t common. As I wanted to do engineering and was always interested in medicine, this was exactly what I needed to make my final decision. Now, fast forward to 21-year-old Hannah graduating with a degree in communications and minors in business and mathematics.
Starting my college career, I was sure I would be an engineer. A year and a half in and I knew it was the last thing I wanted to do. I’ve changed my major three times since — first to business, then to math and finally, I landed on communications. I remember the first semester I decided to work at the Daily Utah Chronicle: I wasn’t ready to commit to writing as I was still an engineering major, so I went with copy editing, and have been doing it ever since. Working for the Chrony was the first step in changing my degree, along with two creative writing courses I took in my second and third semesters. Combined, they reminded me how much I enjoy writing and editing.
After COVID hit in March 2020, I didn’t think I would be graduating high school, let alone starting college and surviving it long enough to finish. During my freshman year, I lived at home after realizing doing online classes locked in a college dorm wasn’t for me. Instead, I did these classes at my childhood home’s kitchen counter. Five days a week for 30 weeks I would wake up, make coffee and breakfast, do math, physics, chemistry and the like over Zoom, and occasionally go to work at the daycare my mom owns. It was a love-hate relationship, and I often considered dropping out. But to this day and for years to come, I will have the nostalgic memory of sitting at the counter drinking a homemade latte, watching my dog play in the yard and enduring lectures on my laptop with groups of people I will only ever know as faces on a screen.
Over the last four years, I have learned a lot of things. Many of them have been educational — sitting hours at desks and in lecture halls as professors imparted wisdom that I will presumably never use again. But of all the math equations and theories, the law cases, the business terms and the best way to make a clay pot, the most valuable thing I have learned is that life isn’t worth living scared. My grandpa used to say “Take it one day at a time.” Enjoy the present moment and don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. Slow down, and embrace the time you are currently in, because we never get a second chance at the moments that have already passed. I have taught myself over the last few years to be more optimistic, to remember the hard times I have been through and look at how far I have come. In practice, this is easier said than done, but the first step is believing it, which I do every day.
I wish I could tell you that I was going on to pursue a career in journalism, but I’m not. I don’t want to be a journalist, hence why I never switched to writing for the Chrony. There are various paths I could take after graduating: law school, playing rugby internationally or finding a job in communications that speaks to me and my skills. But wherever I end up, the U taught me that I can learn to love a different place, no matter how rough the journey. The Chrony taught me that I don’t need years of experience to start something new, I simply have to trust myself and go for it. Most importantly, I have taught myself that I am capable of overcoming anything, and had it not been for my kitchen counter at home, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
