First-generation student Hannah Askew is set to graduate from ETSU on Dec. 13, completing a journey that began in her high school library and grew through internships, leadership roles and hands-on experience.

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Hannah Askew will fulfill a dream years in the making when she walks across the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University on Dec. 13.

Months before graduation, the media and communication major secured a full-time job in her field, backed by internships and hands-on experience.

But the first-generation college student didn’t always have a clear path – or even the confidence to imagine one. She can trace it all back to a single place, a place where countless stories begin: the Elizabethton High School Library.

It was there that her school media specialist, Dustin Hensley, who also teaches as an adjunct instructor at ETSU, noticed her potential long before she recognized it in herself.

Coming from a family where no one had ever graduated from college, Hannah had never seriously considered pursuing higher education.

“My family is incredibly supportive, and they always have been, but (the college admissions process) was just unfamiliar territory for us,” she said.

Her library conversations with Mr. Hensley planted the seed of possibility in Hannah’s mind, and her resolve to attend college continued to grow in the library.

“One of my favorite memories of the Elizabethton High School Library was when ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland came to the library to present ETSU scholarships,” Hannah said. “I was actually first because my last name starts with A.

“It was just an incredible opportunity to be in a place where I love, to be surrounded by teachers and educators whom I loved and who had supported me, and to move on to the next chapter in my journey and shake hands with the president of the university I was about to attend.”

At ETSU, Hannah embraced every opportunity she could. She held several leadership roles on the East Tennessean, ETSU’s student newspaper, and she served as a student worker in the Office of University Marketing and Communications for four years.

The summer before her final semester at ETSU, she landed a prestigious internship as a content and editorial intern with XQ Institute and Emerson Collective, where she honed the skills she learned in her ETSU classes.

“ETSU has definitely changed me for the better,” Hannah said.

Now, she is preparing to end her ETSU story the way it began – with a handshake from President Noland.

This time, though, it will be on the commencement stage before a much larger crowd than the one gathered years ago in the Elizabethton High School Library.

Learn more about how ETSU students like Hannah go beyond the classroom through hands-on learning opportunities, internships, and service.

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