Hannah Baumgardner is a rising junior at Spelman College, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology + Spanish. As an Ethel Wadell Githii Honors Scholar and Dovey Johnson Roundtree scholarship recipient, Hannah stays active within her community by being a member of multiple campus organizations. Currently, Hannah serves as the president of Noire, Spelman College’s contemporary music ensemble, a role in which she is constantly finding performance opportunities for a talented group of instrumentalists and vocalists. Hannah is also a proud member of the Spelman College Ambassadors Program and is tasked with providing weekly tours and information for prospective students interested in the Spelman experience. 

As a Spanish double major, Hannah has been studying Spanish culture and language since the 6th grade – nearly eight years – and is deeply involved in her school’s Afro-Latino community. Continuing her engagement at school, Hannah is a devoted member of three culturally focused campus organizations, namely, La Voz, AfroLatinidad, and AfroEcuador Tutoring. Within La Voz and AfroLatinidad, Hannah has enhanced her conversational Spanish in a relaxed setting while learning more about Spanish culture and traditions from her peers. Furthermore, as a tutor for AfroEcuador, Hannah weekly engages in a cultural exchange with her assigned student from Ecuador. As Hannah tutors her student in English, she picks up different sayings in Spanish and learns about the daily life of a student living in South America. 

As a sociology and anthropology double major, Hannah constantly views the world from a culturally reflexive perspective and aims to understand how historically formed social norms have shaped societies worldwide. This summer, along with participating in the AfroLatinidades Internship Institute, Hannah will be traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico, and experiencing Black culture internationally through the lens of an Afro-Mexican community. Furthermore, while abroad, Hannah will attend the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca and take classes centered around national and transnational identities while staying with a host family to complete her cultural immersion. 

Through the sociological lens, Hannah has learned to analyze different societies while keeping their history in mind. Furthermore, she frequently uses her observations to educate her peers and community members on how historical inequities can permanently alter a community’s development. In continuing her education on various societies, Hannah will be well-informed on Latinx history, culture, and politics by attending the AfroLatinidades Internship Institute and having the resources and support of the University of Santa Barbara faculty. 

To balance out academics, Hannah enjoys singing, reading classic literature, and admiring architecture in her free time. In the future, Hannah plans to enter a career that will allow her love of society analysis, culture, and language learning to intersect. With the help of the AfroLatinidades Internship Institute, Hannah will be well-versed in the impact of Black culture within the Latinx community, exposed to multiple career opportunities, and supported in the search for potential graduate schools.