hannah | graduating

penn state senior session

Graduating from college is a major milestone in anyone’s life. All the years of late night study groups, early morning classes and weekend cram sessions are finally paying off. While challenging, there’s a sense of comfort in the lecture halls, dorm rooms and campus life. Completing your coursework and walking across the state to accept your diploma represent more than just the cumulation of four years of hard work.

I have known Hannah and her family for years. Her mom, Pam, and I worked together at the photography studio I used to manage and I’ve have the privilege of getting to watch Hannah grow up over the years. I even shot her high school graduation pictures a short four years ago.

After endless hours spent in class, labs and studying, Hannah is graduating with her degree in nursing from Penn State. To commemorate all of her hard work, I headed up to campus to spend the afternoon capturing the milestone.

From Hannah: Favorite memory from college was being able to go to THON and help out on the medication team and get to interact with all the dancers and kids! Future career goals are to work as an RN in the Emergency Department at Gettysburg Hospital. Huge thank you to Mom and Kendra for always being there for me the past four years, supporting me through the hard times and the bad, and helping me study, even when I didn’t want too!

Dressed in her cap and gown, we utilized the building where Hannah spent most of her time as the backdrop. One of my favorite things about Hannah’s session were the small, but personal touches she brought along. Her cap was decorated by her younger sister, Kendra, and was the perfect way to acknowledge all of the support and encouragement her family has given her through the years.

The most impactful thing she brought along with her though was a big suitcase filled with books. Over her four years at Penn State, Hannah saved the books from each of her classes. Representing all of the knowledge she gained while there, the books were a perfect representation of this chapter of her life.

Hannah, thank you for letting me come up to Penn State and spend the afternoon with you. I can’t believe you are already graduating. It seems like just yesterday we did your high school senior portraits. I know you will be a wonderful nurse and I can’t see what the future holds for you.