By: Savannah Amdahl
Hannah Clauss is a first-year majoring in Biology with a concentration in pre-med and a minor in English. Hannah is from Aspen, Colorado so attending the University of Tennessee so far from home was a big decision, but she wanted to branch out and explore a new part of the country. Hannah is very outgoing and wants to get more involved with activities and events on campus. Right now, she is a member of Kappa Delta, where she serves as her chapter’s secretary, and next year she hopes to serve on one of the honors’ council’s committees. Hannah is thankful for her sorority because it has allowed her to meet some of her best friends and given her unique opportunities such as holding a major leadership position as a freshman.
Hannah chose to join the Chancellor’s Honors Program because she felt that it would challenge her to achieve more and help her in applying for grad schools. She decided to pursue Biology because when she was very little she spent a lot of time at the doctor. Her doctors informed her she had café-au-lait spots which meant there was a possibility she had neurofibromatosis (NF) and was a carrier of the gene. All of the time spent with the doctors got her interested in the sciences and ever since she has hoped to do something relating to genetic disorders. After graduating from UT, Hannah plans to either attend medical school and become a doctor or attend grad school, obtain her Ph.D., and go into medical research. As of yet, she isn’t sure which she would rather do. However, Hannah has some rather intriguing plans for what would happen next. At some point in her life, Hannah would like to open an elephant sanctuary, a place where sick elephants can go to get treatments before being released back into the wild; attend culinary school, where she hopes to be able to travel to Japan to learn to cook sushi which is one of her favorite foods; and travel to and perhaps live in Antarctica. Hannah is thankful for her family who has supported her in all of her endeavors and her desire to live life to the fullest.
When Hannah is not involved with activities in her sorority, studying for her classes, or coming up with her next big goal, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and crocheting. She feels blessed to have met people who are not only her best friends but are also a part of the Big Orange Family. In her short time here on Rocky Top, Hannah has already had so many wonderful experiences that it was hard for her to pick her favorite, but finally, she decided that attending home football games and cheering alongside her fellow Volunteers would definitely had to be it.