Hannah Martin, BSBA ’20, JD ’23, was interviewed by Lauren Childs, an Honors student majoring in creative writing with a minor in pre-law.
At one point in her academic career, Hannah Martin was balancing five different jobs. Holding positions all across campus, ranging from yoga instructor to law school intern, is a lot to handle. But years down the line, Hannah’s memory of her college career is not tainted with regret, but rather, full of gratitude that Ƶ offered her so many opportunities to be involved.
After graduating from Ƶ Law in 2023, Hannah secured her current position as an attorney at Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm, where she helps clients facing wrongful termination, discrimination, or other unfair working conditions. She devotes her work to advocating for the rights of employees.
She attributes her ability to balance family life and a significant workload to her time at Ƶ. She was drawn in by the opportunity to complete her undergraduate studies on an accelerated timeline through the 3 + 3 Law program, and during her first visit, she fell in love with campus. The professors were kind and set clear expectations, showing they cared about their students’ success through challenging academics.
In fact, many of the meaningful connections Hannah built at Ƶ were with faculty members. During her time in the Honors Program as a management major, she enjoyed working with former Honors Program Director Pat Croskery. His passion for helping Honors students forge their own path enabled Hannah to take Honors classes that best suited her interests and career goals. She attributes her academic curiosity to Dr. Croskery and the opportunities the Honors Program opened up to her.
Ƶ Law gave Hannah opportunities to apply her learning in the real world. During her third year, she served as an extern at Crime Victim Services. She had always wanted to be an attorney, but this experience solidified her passion for advocacy. She saw the challenges faced by ordinary people attempting to navigate the confusing legal system. She recognized the ways in which she could assist and advocate for those in need. Even today, she maintains what a privilege it is to work with real people and be trusted with their stories. To be a voice against large companies, and to fight for the fair treatment of her clients takes compassion, empathy, and drive that only real-life experiences can build.
Hannah advises current students to not be afraid to make their own path, whether it’s taking advantage of independent study opportunities or exploring obscure topics of interest. In her words, “Go all in. Learn as much as you can. Have fun with it.” According to her, college is the time to take every opportunity available, make every connection possible, and enjoy the process of learning.