We sat down with this smart and dedicated Berks sophomore to discuss her faith, campus involvement, and academics.
Sophomore nutrition major Hannah McConnell is set on making the most of her two years here at Berks. She’s very happy with her life and is intent on getting the most out of her education. She shares, “It’s a real privilege to be going to college and I’ve been enjoying my experience and learning about myself.”
Her commitment to livng her life at Berks to the fullest shows through her campus involvement. She landed a leadership position in Christian Student Fellowship after only one semester at Berks and became SGA representative for the Honor’s Club during her Sophomore year. It was her successful performance on the leadership team last semester that led to her selection as Co-President of CSF this year. Clearly a humble person, she made sure to credit the rest of the leadership team, insisting, “Duties are shared between all of the leadership; it’s a lot of planning and praying for people on campus and in CSF.”
In addition to her leadership positions in CSF and the Honor’s Club, Hannah is a Schreyer Honors Scholar; she must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.7 and take honors credits each semester. Always hardworking, she doesn’t see a heavy course load and high academic standards as a daunting task but rather a challenge she is excited to take on. In fact, her academic nature is a quality she is most proud of. When we asked Hannah about her greatest accomplishment, she identified it as, not one specific achievement, but her overall academic accomplishments. “I am proud of how academically inclined I am. I have gone above and beyond my expectations. I’ve always sought to learn more than necessary.”
Although Hannah is proud of her success in this area, she devotes most of her attention not to academics, but to her faith. “I always strive to make my focus Christ and living for Him instead of living for myself,” she shares. After going through a tough break-up during high school, Hannah recalls sitting in church on Easter Sunday almost two years ago, feeling lost and broken. She was touched by the message she heard in church that morning, focused on the idea that “God is not only able to take the burdens but He is so willing.” It was during this service that she realized she had been concentrating her attention and efforts to all the wrong areas of her life and decided to commit her life to Christ.
Today she strives to be of service to God and to others. She offers this advice to girls who may be focused on relationships, as she was before she became a Christian, “Don’t let your heart wonder away too easily. Keep it sacred because it is sacred.” <3