From the president

Hanna Shailer is a nursing student at Mount Wachusett Community College, a Student Leader in Civic Engagement and a volunteer passionate about access and opportunity for her classmates as well as the community. Hanna has worked with the college food pantry for the past five years. Hanna transferred her focus to virtual mentoring during the height of the pandemic and has been an invaluable resource to students who are seeking help in the local community. In addition, Hanna has participated in community sponsored service trips to Haiti and will be traveling to Costa Rica this summer to provide service. Hanna is a mentor and role model who is increasingly focusing her service on creating healthy local and international communities.

James VanderHooven

President

Mount Wachusett Community College

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Personal Statement

You learn more through experience than through observation. Poverty was something I was aware of from a young age. My family was lucky to receive assistance from our local community in months when we fell short, though I know now this isn’t always the case. This always moved me, and I felt impacted to contribute to the change being made involving economic inequality. This journey started by doing food drives each year on my birthday, and volunteering with the Spirit Lifters at the Brookfield Congregational Church delivering flowers to local shut-ins before holidays. Through these experiences I was able to learn more about food insecurity and the social injustices that fell even within just my small community. My love to serve others continued to grow within my community and beyond as I was able to go on service projects to DC, Chili, and Haiti. I now work in the MWCC, Brewer Center, as a Student Leader in Civic Engagement. My position includes both encouraging students to be more civically engaged through campus and community events, as well as meeting the unique needs of students. I am passionate about making others voices heard and creating a space of equity for students.

Hanna Shailer

Nursing

Mount Wachusett Community College