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When Hannah McCandless first landed
at The Ohio State University, she had a
sinking “what now?” moment. “I went
into college my freshman year with no
idea what I wanted to study, feeling lost
and confused,” she says. What got her
through that time was thinking about
the Extended Essay she wrote for
her IB Diploma.
“I wrote about the failure of foreign aid in Africa,”
says Hannah. “I started thinking about how
passionate I had been about that topic, and the path
sort of unfolded from there.”
That path not only led Hannah to her course
International Baccalaureate students
have found personal enrichment through
service to others in Asia, India, Latin
America, and Africa, as well as here
at home. Here, Hannah McCandless,
’12, enjoys getting to know one of her
students in Zanzibar, off the coast of
Tanzania. Photo courtesy of Hannah
McCandless
As part of her community service requirement,
Hannah McCandless co-founded
a student group against genocide called
PATH (Pledge Against the Hate). Her course
of study at OSU led to a fulfilling volunteer
experience in Africa.
Finding the Path
of study – a double major in development
studies and economics, and a minor in Swahili
– but all the way to Africa.
“I am most passionate about learning why
some countries are wealthy and others are so
poor,” explains Hannah. “Looking through a
global lens inspired me to pursue the field of
development in East Africa.”
To help solidify her choice of major, she
researched summer volunteer opportunities
that tied in with her interests. That’s how
she found herself in Zanzibar, an island
off the coast of Tanzania, teaching English
classes with an organization called African
Impact. “The goal is to help native workers
learn enough English to be able to take on
jobs in tourism that would otherwise go to
Westerners,” says Hannah. In return, she
was able to brush up on her Swahili, the
predominant language of the area.
As Hannah’s own actions illustrate
well, she feels strongly that “an IB Diploma
student needs to be passionate. The program
“Looking through a global lens inspired me to
pursue the field of development in East Africa.”
is challenging and requires you to put your
heart into it to be successful. You need to
be intellectually curious and excited about
learning new things, about yourself and
the world we live in.”
What will stick with her the most, she
says, are the relationships she developed
with her IB teachers and the other students.
“The relationships, the writing skills,
the communication skills – all of these
will help students with their future
career and throughout their lives,” says
Hannah. “As a student in the IB Diploma
Program, you are having an experience
that is truly unique.” SL
50 SHAKERONLINE.COM | SPRING 2014