“Being from Berry was a huge boost for getting the internship,” says Hannah. “They kept telling me how excited they were to have a Berry student.”
History major Hannah McDaniel ’26 planned on applying for a master’s in education. Then the Georgia Senate called. They offered her a legislative assistant position because of her previous internship. She starts in January and will finish her final semester online.
Putting literacy interest into action
Hannah was placed with Senator Billy Hickman, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth. She prepared committee documents, read bills and helped with legislation.
It was a great fit, given her interest in history and literacy.
“My high school English teacher described Georgia literacy statistics," Hannah remembers. “That’s when I decided to be a teacher. I knew content literacy was important. Students read documents and apply concepts in history; those skills are literacy practices.”
For her honors thesis, Hannah has written adolescent literacy policies. The goal is to help school boards get the ball rolling on innovative practices.
“The state of Georgia is doing okay on early education literacy, but the struggle is with adolescent literacy,” Hannah explains. “My thesis asks the question, ‘How did we get here, and what can we change?’”
Berry legacy: liberal arts and service
Her thesis also pushed her to reflect on the well-rounded education received at Berry.
“My liberal arts education has been crucial to how I’ve developed as a person,” she says. “It allowed me to confidently hold conversations with people from other fields because I’ve been exposed to a variety of subjects and can participate even if I don’t share their expertise.”
Another Berry takeaway? “Learning how to be in community with people, how to serve people well. That grows you personally and professionally,” Hannah reflects. “At the end of the day, what you do with your life is about serving others. Berry has made that an important part of my life philosophy.”
