Hannah Dawson

I once asked students to share about a person who they think is courageous. Some answered in ways I expected: Soldiers, firefighters, and relatives who are doctors or nurses. However, a great majority named their fearless caregivers who do the unthinkable: Heroically fight off spiders. Sometimes bravery can be found in the mundane, especially in the eyes of a child. When I was a child myself, I looked up to my mom as someone who embodied bravery. She was compassionate and patient as she did the unimaginably difficult job of both parents herself while living in poverty. She was also known to throw on her boxing gloves in a spider spar from time to time when warranted. Above all else, she empowered me to unapologetically be the intensely curious, playful, silly, and imaginative child that I was. Looking back now, this was more important to my growth than any material possession could’ve offered. Growing up in this way has enabled me to tend to these qualities in children through my practice as a school counselor. I believe that all children have good intentions and generally want to succeed. As a poor, first-generation college student, I recognized at an early age the barriers that can and often do exist for kids and families navigating a system that was not built for them—whether that be public education or the university system. With that, I work to break barriers down for students who experience them as they strive for their own definitions of success. In my spare time—when I’m not warding off spiders—I work to attend to my inner-child so I can effectively tend to those kiddos and families with whom I work. I do so by finding humor (staves off burnout!), spending time outdoors, cooking, socializing, stretching my brain creatively, and many other things I have yet to discover.