Meet Northwest Alum ‘18 Hanna: “Hi! My name is Hanna Anderson, and I graduated from Northwest in 2018. I studied Clinical Psychology and Child Studies/Human Development at Tufts University and graduated in 2022. I’m currently the Client Services Coordinator for the Child Anxiety Center at a mental health clinic in downtown Seattle.
What I loved most about Northwest were the people I met. My classmates, teachers, teammates, coaches, and counselors all left lasting impacts on my life. Coaches supported me off the court, and teachers supported me outside the classroom. Northwest faculty went above and beyond for students in helping us thrive in many different aspects of life. I cherish memories with my classmates during Winterfest, basketball and volleyball games, class retreats, and Outdoor Program outings.
I also really valued Northwest’s efforts to make spaces where students of all grade levels could interact and learn from one other. Activities like biweekly Environment clean ups allowed for mentor-mentee relationships I found to be really helpful when I started at Northwest in middle school and very rewarding by the time I was an upper schooler.
Northwest’s emphasis on developing communication skills has helped me convey my thoughts effectively, concisely, and thoughtfully. I had already built a solid foundation going into college that served me well across many different domains, including documenting my research, sending professional emails, and writing short stories for class. Beyond written communication, Northwest also prepared me well for verbal communication in college through presentations, performances, and debates.
My senior year Advanced Biology course at Northwest greatly influenced my decision to pursue a degree in a psychology-related field. Learning about the structure and function of the brain during our neuroscience unit piqued my curiosity about the subject and compelled me to learn more.
I strive to have the same level of passion for psychology that Northwest faculty had for their respective subjects, and plan to apply to grad school in a few years to become a licensed child and family therapist.”