I am proud to present this week’s campus cutie, Hannah Crisler. This Ann Arbor native is a graduating senior, studying English and minoring in Art History and Performance Arts Management. This cutie is a creative thinker and bold innovator dedicated to doing something big in the world.
Her Campus: First, what is an interesting fact about yourself you’d like to share?
Hannah Crisler: I did Karate for 10 years and I am a second-degree black belt.
HC: Wow! What an interesting fact! Okay, so what are you involved in here on campus?
H: I am the current director of the I Will Campaign, which is a sexual assault awareness organization.
HC: That sounds awesome. Can you tell me more about what I Will does?
H: Our main goal is to empower individuals and approach sexual assault on college campuses through a positive lens, which at times is very hard to do because it is a very negative, dense and taboo topic. We do a lot of collaborations and art interactives with other student orgs on campus. We take what we know, sexual assault and education, and try to mesh it with what they do. Also recently, we have had a mini-group that has been working on policy in the University. So that’s what we do.
HC: Are there opportunities to get involved with I Will?
H: Yeah, definitely! If anyone is interested in I Will, you can contact Lynn Chou (lynnchou@umich.edu) or Lauren Shephard (shepardl@umich.edu), and also feel free to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (iwillumich) to get updates on recruitment, events, etc.
HC: It sounds like an amazing, necessary and important campaign, and people should definitely want to get involved. So, you’re a senior; what has been the most difficult part of senior year?
H: That’s a good question. It’s hard for me to balance my time wisely. I overbook myself. Self-care, managing time and then within that time, managing self –care has been difficult. But I’ve learned that it’s okay to not always be doing things, and it’s okay to take time that you would spend doing other things and invest it back into yourself.
HC: Self-care is so important! What do you think you’ll miss most about UM?
H: Oh wow, that’s a loaded question. I think there is something really special about being in a place where you’re surrounded by people your age who are individually trying to figure themselves, and each other, out. And through what you experience all of these things and there are so many trials and errors and learning opportunities and motivations and passions and all of these emotions happening.
Undergraduate experience is dedicating time in your life to learning about who you are and what you want to learn and what you want to do, which I think is an ever-constant process, but that four-year period is dedicated for you to solely do that and focus on those around you. There are so many resources, and you’re surrounded by people who have similar hungry mentalities for different things they want to do. When you go out in the world and have these huge possibilities, it totally changes and it can become daunting and scary, and I think it’s harder to learn in that sense because you’re no longer in a space where everyone is going through the same thing you are. So, I’m definitely going to miss that.
HC: That’s very real, because at no other point in our lives, are we really going to have that. All of these things, concentrated into one space. What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were a freshman?
H: Your path is not something you predetermine. I came here freshman year having these expectations; I predetermined my own path because I thought that’s what would fit and what would be best for me. And I feel like you’re not going to know any different unless you go through and experience things. But it’s okay to not like things that you’re doing, its okay to do something and be like, “Oh I’m interested in this, I want to try this.” It’s okay to be uncomfortable and push yourself out of your box and do things you might not normally do, because sometimes those can be the best things for you.
Looking at who I am today and what I’ve been doing, leading an organization, being an English major and studying Art History and minoring in performance art management—bringing together writing and music and art and interacting with people, those are all core things that I knew I loved from the beginning but it took me four years to create something, that was me. I changed my major three times. I quit organizations. I helped create organizations. I lost friends, I found friends. I lost myself and I found myself, multiple times. Its all part of the process and it’s okay for those things to happen.
HC: You’re right, it is okay! Everything that we have been through has been important and significant and worth it. What advice do you have for upcoming seniors and undergrads?
H: Something my friend Evan has taught me. He always says that he tries to do things that scare him. So, do things you’re afraid of doing. And I mean it’s not like, “I’m afraid to jump off Argo dam so I’m going to jump off the bridge.” No. It’s like, “I’m afraid to tell my friend I care about them.” “I’m afraid to tell my professor I need help.” “I’m afraid to speak my opinion because I don’t think it will be valued.” “I’m afraid to stand up when something wrong is going on,”—things like that.
That is some really incredible advice. Big thanks to Hannah for talking college and life with Her Campus. Readers will definitely be stealing away some solid gems from her inspiring words and truths.