Fellow Friday: Hannah French

Fellow Friday: Hannah French, JIF '14

Hannah, decked out in Stanford swag 

Hometown: Okemos, Michigan

High School: Okemos High School

Intended Major: Conservation Science

Why did you decide to become a Fellow?

Joyce Ivy gave me such an amazing experience, one that I would want every young girl to be able to have. It's beyond that, though. I believe in the mission statement and I want to be able to help carry that out and bring it to fruition. It's hard to leave the Midwest; it really is, even if you badly want to. But, while corn hole and pop and cows and snow and suburbs will always be deeply ingrained in my philosophy, having the chance to discover something else is something that I would happily work for. I became a Fellow because I want to give that chance to other people.

What is your favorite memory from your summer experience?

There was this one night--that sort of stretched out, lazy, heated summer night--where we decided to go to the dry lake. It was basically just this open field, and it was completely dark, so there was a lot of tripping and clutching and laughter. In the middle of this field you could lie down and you could see all of the stars. So we had a dance party, of course, the last one. And it was great because it wasn't sponsored or anything, it was just us--our dorm, our community, our family. And we looked at the constellations and we told myths and ghost stories. When we went back, the sprinklers were on in the field right outside the dorm. So we ran through them and danced. It was exhilarating, and in my mind that experience is what best represents the family and the home I found at Stanford.

Why does the Fellows Team rock?

The Fellows Team is amazing because we are so completely different. Which, I guess, is a pretty cliche thing to say but if you think about it, that's a pretty hard thing to accomplish. Young girls from the Midwest who wanted to go to a summer program at an Ivy League school? That is a pretty narrow field. And yet we all have different backgrounds, interests, lives and futures. Still, together we make a great team, and we work together with one common goal. I think that's pretty cool. 

How did JIF affect where you are today?

I'm sitting here on a laptop, typing this and texting my friends from the summer, friends who I hope to remain close with for many years to come. I'm thinking about college, a college where I will push myself to be uncomfortable, because I know now that I will thrive, and grow. I'm wondering if I would have been so determined to explore, and so daring, so open with my dreams, if it had not been for Joyce Ivy. The answer is no. Joyce Ivy gave me all that, as well as an ideology of empowerment and the absolute joy and excitement of breaking new boundaries.

People who are not from the Midwest always ask me…

I've noticed people often ask me about a) the snow ("wow! you get lots of snow, right?" as if this phenomenon does not occur in, say, Vermont, or Colorado), b) farming ("lots of fields, right?" or "oh, so can you milk cows and stuff?" the answer is no, I cannot), and c) social life ("that must've been so boring..." to which I respond, "of course not! Let me teach you euchre."). 

Do you have questions for Hannah?  Email her at hfrench8@gmail.com