Hannah Saxon ’24 always felt a desire to travel — to discover new parts of the world and experience distinct cultures. This aspiration took her from Berry to Moldova, where she volunteers with the Peace Corps to promote development projects among Moldovan youth. “Moldova is not so different from the U.S. — they are a country that believes in hard work and doing what needs to be done,” she says.
Her mother, Andrea Saxon ’94, pushed her to tour Berry’s campus. “I had a gut feeling that Berry was exactly where I needed to be,” Saxon remembers. “It felt like peace settled over me: the sky was clear, and I could see myself sitting on the Evans porch in the sunlight. Over the next four years, I spent many days relaxing on the Thomas Berry lawn, walking the Viking Trail and studying at my favorite table in the library with a coffee from Java City.”
She dove headlong into college life. “Being a Berry student is about your LifeWorks job, a foundation of mentoring and a constant desire to learn about the world around you,” Saxon says. “It was through my jobs at the Student Activities Office and as a BCC mentor and Model United Nations (MUN) club leader that I developed a deeper appreciation for the importance of passing on knowledge.”
Saxon loved her time in Model UN, which prepares participants to take on the role of United Nations delegate in regional, national and even international Model United Nations conferences.
“I was nicknamed the ‘army recruiter’ because I would brag and talk about MUN with anyone who would listen until they agreed to attend a meeting,” she says. “In between the hectic committee sessions, you’re able to take a break and talk about your plans, what life is like where you live, your favorite kind of coffee and more with people from all over the world.”
Curious about the global community, Saxon studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. “I did not know anyone in Barcelona and was forced to build new connections and practice a second language — and I did it,” she recalls.
Saxon felt confident to pursue the Peace Corps after graduation. She landed a Community and Organizational Development (COD) volunteer position in Moldova, where she has lived for nearly a year of her two-year stint. As a volunteer, Saxon has “co-facilitated a SWOT analysis, two community surveys, seven interviews with youth and two focus groups, organized a book club and an English conversation club, and written three grant applications for different project ideas.”
Once she returns to the U.S., Saxon plans to obtain a master's at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. “Plus, after living abroad for two years, I’m eager to go home to familiar places and faces,” she adds.
Saxon encourages every student to venture outside their “Berry bubble” to discover more about themselves: “I believe it’s a perfect opportunity to step away from the ‘Berry busy’ life and give yourself some time to breathe, learn and explore what makes you happy.”
