2019 Recipient

Hannah is a dedicated and active member of her Worcester County community. She mentors high school freshmen, participates in the Special Peer Connections Club with students with special needs, and even was part of the interview team for an honors math teacher at her high school.

As a student liaison at Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, an agency that provides multiple services to families in need, Hannah attends monthly board meetings and assists the agency in adjusting their services to meet the needs of the Shrewsbury community.

Hannah’s leadership and initiative are most evident while working at St. Anne’s Free Medical Clinic. As a clerical volunteer, her role quickly expanded after noticing that there was often a language barrier between patients and volunteers. Although she is not a native Spanish language speaker, Hannah found herself stepping in and translating to the best of her ability. After seeing patients’ anxiety ease when spoken to in their native language, Hannah decided to improve her Spanish skills, taking Spanish as an elective senior year. She developed Spanish versions of intake forms for patients and over time created a separate check in line for Spanish speaking patients.

Practicing her Spanish speaking skills outside of the classroom has motivated Hannah to incorporate Spanish into a business degree and study international business in college. We are proud to award Hannah a Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation Scholarship and wish her the best as she continues her studies at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst this fall.