Among all of Elizabethtown College’s many opportunities, it’s hard to know all of our fellow Jays on a personal level. Let’s take a minute to get to know a busy Blue Jay. Meet Hannah Sharp, a junior biology secondary education major.
Etown has a special place in Sharp’s heart.“[loved] the variety of hands-on teaching and learning experiences that I’ve had,” Sharp said. “Whether I’m at a field placement for an education class or in a biology lab, I love that all of my classes are very interactive.”
As a preservice educator, Sharp is excited to start her career teaching. Sharp says that Etown has helped build that excitement and helped prepare her for her career. Being an education major is important to Sharp and she is clearly passionate about it:
“I’m very excited to get out into the field of teaching, and my classes here at Etown have helped build that excitement and helped me feel prepared for my career. I also love the field of biology and the combined major here at Etown has made it possible to get plenty of experience within both fields!”
Sharp’s favorite class this semester is Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Classroom. Sharp enjoys it because of the fieldwork placement. She is currently shadowing an ELD teacher at a local elementary school.
“I’ve found this placement to be super interesting and informative of future inclusive practices that I can use in my classroom!” Sharp said.
Outside of Sharp’s passion towards her academics, she enjoys being social as well. Sharp loves to go out with friends on the weekend and explore the local businesses and restaurants. Sharp’s favorite local places are Stumpy’s and Figments in Spinkles. Off-campus fun can be great, but Sharp also loves to go to campus sporting events or other on-campus activities hosted by OSA.
Etown is a home away from home for Sharp, as she is originally from South Jersey. She is from Lower Alloways Creek, which is a small town near the Delaware River. Sharp says her hometown is rural and that she grew up on a farm.
When Sharp was looking to find a college that felt like home, she knew Etown was the right choice.
“The sense of community and inclusion that I felt even before committing to be a student here at Etown, made me know that I would continue to feel at home for all of my time here” Sharp said.
A priority for Sharp was to be pushed and challenged academically, and she felt Etown could do that. “I chose Etown because I knew I would continuously be challenged and pushed outside my comfort zone while also have knowing there would be someone there to support me,” she said.
The campus community and how invested all the faculty is in their students is what Sharp loves most about this college. Sharp claims this is the type of experience that can’t be replicated at bigger schools.
As much as Sharp loves this little campus, she is taking the opportunity to study abroad. Next semester Sharp is studying in Athens, Greece. She was inspired to study abroad because of a trip to Lisbon, Portugal she took in high school through the International Baccalaureate program. Sharp’s motive for deciding on Greece was her appreciation for the culture and desire to learn more first hand.
During the year, Sharp is a part of the Bonner Leadership Program where she runs the Blue Jay Career Closet. This is a free resource where students and staff can get business clothing for work, interviews or fieldwork related placements. Sharp enjoys this role and responsibility.
Additionally, Sharp is a mentor in the biology club, SEEDs ecology club, Edorg, KDP, and NSTA. These clubs keep Sharp connected to campus. “All of these clubs have given me the opportunity to learn more about both of my fields of study so I’ve enjoyed attending meetings and events.” Sharp said.
Once Sharp graduates, she plans on finding a job teaching high school biology and even plans on staying in this area.
This Blue Jay has a busy schedule and successful college career going for her here at Etown, and it is exciting to see where she will go.
