Student Profile: Hannah Whalen ’23
History major and HFA Study Abroad Scholarship recipient Hannah Whalen’s experience studying abroad in Florence, Italy, last summer was highlighted by rich culture and an art history course.
“I was so amazed at how my professor really utilized the city of Florence as our classroom,” Whalen said. “We never stayed longer than ten minutes in our assigned classroom and the whole course took place at various churches, museums, and landmarks of Florence. It was one of the most fascinating experiences to be able to learn about Michaelangelo's David as I was standing right in front of it.”
Outside of academics, Hannah is on the E-board of the Education Club as the co-chair of volunteering and a senior editor for Her Campus, a magazine written for and by female college students. She is also an HFA ambassador and volunteers weekly at Homework House in Holyoke as a tutor.
Over the past three years, Hannah has researched topics ranging from Native American Boarding Schools to the Vietnam War and even got the opportunity to be featured in the Undergraduate History Journal in Spring 2021.
Upon graduating from UMass, she intends to travel abroad to work for a year, return to complete a master’s in education, and then pursue a career in secondary education as a high school history teacher.