Hannah Rubin ’21 knows what she knows, respects what she doesn’t, has a keen sense for the circumstances surrounding her life, and finds ways to make progress towards her goals regardless. “I don’t like to focus on the past, who I was, or who I thought I would be. I like to process who I am in the moment, live in that moment, work on what’s next, and find ways to make it all work.”
A first-generation college student, Hannah wasn’t immediately sure UNH, or college in general, was going to be the right choice for her, unsure of what she wanted to do or study. Though she was an accomplished student, athlete, and leader at Raymond High, what Hannah did know is that she needed to expand her world, values, and knowledge following high school.
Growing up in a working-class family, Hannah takes financial decisions very seriously and doesn’t have a “financial parachute”. Her father Scott, a third-shift dock worker, and her mother Karen worked hard to provide for their kids. During Hannah’s freshman year of high school, Scott was diagnosed with a rare form of adrenal cancer. At the time, he was the financial provider for the family; Hannah remembers how he worked for as long as he could before he got too sick. Though his cancer progressed rapidly, “he still made it work and made time for things that we cared about -- he would take me to basketball and he taught me how to drive.” Her dad, from whom Hannah says she gets her humor and wit, was and always will be her “number one fan,” says Hannah. Scott passed during her junior year of high school. Though it was a tremendous loss, Hannah draws much of her drive to “make it work” from her father’s spirit.
Hannah and her twin brother, Jacob, came to UNH through the Granite Guarantee Program, a financial aid program that makes college possible for academically and financially qualified New Hampshire residents. Arriving early to participate in the CONNECT Program, an early arrival program for underrepresented populations, Hannah looks back on her first semester as “the best couple months of my life.” A double major in communication and women’s and gender Studies with minors in sociology and social justice leadership, she excelled in courses like “Gender, Power, and Privilege,” and built connections with faculty members like Sharyn Potter.
Embracing the diversity of experiences a college campus can offer, Hannah found a mentor and supporter of her budding photography interests with Randy Schroeder and the TRIO Scholars Program. Through her first Hall Director Devon Hopson and later supervisors Parker LaRock and Kristi Leclerc, Hannah saw the positive impacts Residential Life staff could have on her community, inspiring her to become a resident assistant for two years (which alleviated huge costs to her education). Through her friendships and partner, she also explored leadership development opportunities as an orientation leader for UNH and participant in Leadership Camp. There, she immediately connected with Tyler Wentworth, her facilitator for the week, and a member of the Career and Professional Success (CaPS) team. Tyler, taken by Hannah’s humor, creativity, and work ethic, hired her as a marketing intern and work-study employee for CaPS throughout the rest of her UNH career.
Infinitely humble, Hannah only recently has come to understand that all of these opportunities were due in large part to her own motivation and curiosity. Asked to speak at a UNH recruitment event at White Mountains Regional High School in the fall of 2020 with President Dean, Hannah reflects on how proud she is to be able to share her story and inspire others. “I think a lot of kids in that region were low-income, too and have a similar story, so I showed them, that if I can make this work, you can too.”
Hannah has found ways to “make it work” time and time again at UNH, quietly but steadily thriving. As she is set to graduate, Hannah has taken the next step in living in the moment, assessing her options, and bringing her goals to fruition. With a desire to explore the country, Hannah has secured a job at Fidelity Investments in Salt Lake City that will allow her to move across the country and continue to explore.
