Hannah Schaffer is the type of student that keeps Fordham going behind the scenes. In addition to being a stellar student, Hannah is an RA and an assistant producer at Fordham Nightly News. This is one girl who works hard, but she always does so with a smile on her face.
Where are you from? Haddon Township, New Jersey (it’s outside of Philly).Â
What year are you? Junior.
What is your major? Communication and media studies and history.
What activities are you involved in? I am a part of Fordham Nightly News, and I’m a Resident Assistant. It’s not an on-campus activity, but I also intern at BBC.
Favorite movie: Midnight in Paris, the Woody Allen movie that came out this summer. I saw it three times. It is amazing and witty and imaginative. It’s everything a movie should be.Â
Favorite band/musician: Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Ingrid Michaelson. She’s great.
Favorite book: Harry Potter or Love in the Time of Cholera.
Favorite TV show: 30 Rock.
How did you decide to come to Fordham? I fell in love with the school when I visited for the first time. I wanted to be in New York City, but I also wanted a campus. It just felt right.
How did you become involved with FNN? I actually almost got placed as a work study student in the studio my freshman year, so I knew it existed before I actually started classes. And then at the club fair I saw it again and signed up!
Do you have any tips for students who are trying to balance schoolwork, extracurriculars, and other obligations like internships? Yes, breathe and prioritize. Always also set aside 20 minutes for “me-time”. Those twenty minutes keeps me sane.
What’s your favorite thing about NY? What isn’t my favorite thing about NY! I love how there is always something to do. You are never bored and the opportunities available here are incredible. The food is also incredible. And there are so many different people from different places, it’s never the same: always new and exciting.
What’s your least favorite thing about NY? I may sound like a Grinch, but Macy’s at Christmastime. I would just avoid it, but every time family or friends visit, we end up going to Macy’s because it’s classic New York. I just really dislike how crowded and crazed it becomes.
Do you have a favorite Fordham memory? Freshman-year spring weekend.
Do you have a favorite NYC memory? My friend worked for this PR Company over the summer that did boat rides around Manhattan. One night she invited me, so I went to the dock but the bouncer turned me away because I didn’t have a ticket. My friend’s boss came out and said “Hi Hannah! Come with me,” and I got to pass the line of people waiting to get on. It was great! And then I spent the entire night on a boat ride around Manhattan with one of my good friends. My boyfriend also surprised me with a picnic date in Central Park, and we did the boat rentals on the lake! Those are my two favorites.Â
What’s your favorite class you’ve taken at Fordham? I’m in The Italian Renaissance with Professor David Myers now, and it’s pretty awesome. I’ve never had such an engaging professor. I also really like Movies and the American Experience with Meir Ribalow. Watching three movies a week is a lot, but it’s worth it.
What’s your least favorite class you’ve taken at Fordham? Astronomy.Â
Where’s your favorite spot on campus? I like the area by the library. It’s gorgeous.
If you could give one piece of advice to a Fordham collegiette™, what would it be? Learn to love the huge core. If you think about it in a positive way, it may actually grow on you. We’ll all know so many different things by the time we graduate!
What’s your dream job? Working in television production. Preferably for NBC Universal (which may be a result of watching too much 30 Rock).
What’s on your NYC bucket list? Living in an awesome apartment!
What do you think the best part of a Jesuit education is? How much stuff I know. I love knowing a little about a lot.
Who is your favorite professor at Fordham? Professor Sanders from the Comm department is awesome. I’ve never taken a class of his, but he oversees FNN and he’s my advisor. So are Patricia Romero and Rafael Lamas from the Spanish department. Patricia will whip your Spanish into shape and Lamas is a really cool guy.
What’s one thing everyone would be surprised to learn about you? I took five years of singing lessons, including classical study.
Pick one!
Arthur Ave/Fordham Road? Arthur Ave.
Cafeteria or Grille? Grille (forever and always)
Conway or Dr. Jay’s? Conway all the way
RamVan or Subway? Depends on where I want to go!
Duane Reade or WalGreen’s? Duane Reade
Met or MoMA? Met
Hot Dog or Bagel? Bagel
Broadway or Off-Broadway? Broadway
Radio City or Madison Square Garden? Radio City
Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge? Central Park