Graduating senior Hannah Schneider finds belonging, mentorship at CWU

Central Washington University has been on Hannah Schneider’s mind as long as she can remember.

Her mother is an alumna, and as a high schooler, she would regularly find herself attending summer events on campus. Once it came time to leave her hometown of Omak to pursue a college degree, she knew where she was headed.

“I went to a bunch of camps at CWU, and I just fell in love with the campus,” Schneider said. “I knew that I’d feel right at home here after I graduated high school, because I knew where everything was already.”

Now, as she prepares to graduate with her degree in business administration, she is taking time to reflect on four years of growth and change. After initially pursuing a degree in nutrition, she pivoted to her current program following a transformative experience with the College of Business.

“I’ll always remember my first finance class,” Schneider said. “The professor was really passionate and welcoming, so I got super into the material, and ended up adding it as a minor. I never thought I’d get into finance, but here we are.”

When she first arrived on campus, Schneider was hesitant at the prospect of having to build up a whole new support network. She quickly found that CWU was the perfect place to foster lifelong friendships.

“I was honestly surprised at how easy it was to make friends here,” she said. “Coming in, I didn’t know anyone, but there were so many activities that let me meet a bunch of different people. My first-year roommate and I are still best friends, and we still live together.”

Having made contact with CWU Dining Services at New Student Orientation the summer before her freshman year, Schneider began her time on campus with a job lined up and opportunities for advancement in sight. As part of the Student Leadership program, she was presented with opportunities to develop her skillset outside of the classroom to complement her degree in business administration.

In her current position as administrative assistant for Dining Services, those opportunities have multiplied.

“I’ve led a bunch of meetings, and my co-workers and I hosted an orientation event for 800 students this year,” Schneider said. “Those are things I never would have sought out myself, but being in the position to try it has given me the presentation, communication, and leadership skills I’ll need to succeed down the line.”

With commencement just a few short weeks away, Schneider is looking for positions at CWU to continue giving back to a community that’s become key to her personal and professional growth. She hopes to instill her own enthusiasm for community engagement in the incoming class of freshmen, encouraging them to get out of their dorms and into each other’s lives.

“Get to know as many people as you can, and go to as many Welcome Week activities as possible,” she said. “Everyone there is in the same boat as you, looking for their people and their place in this brand-new living situation.”

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