By Elizabeth Lowe
Twitter: @ReviewLowe
How passionate is Jennifer Hahn about serving others?
She decided not to play collegiate basketball, in order to devote time to volunteering.
Hahn is a senior at the Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore, where she is a student ambassador, campus minister and president of peer ministry.
Amy Conly, IND’s director of admissions, said Hahn “takes pride in her school,” and is “very confident to give an overview of the school to prospective families.”
Hahn helps plan school liturgies, is an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and attends weekly Mass because “it’s how I was raised and I can’t imagine my life without my faith in God.”
She mentors elementary school-aged youths from area Catholic schools and has volunteered at IND’s summer basketball camp and community outreach program for girls in East Baltimore.
Vanessa Williams, the school’s director of youth and campus ministry, has worked with Hahn through campus and peer ministry.
“She’s a lot of fun to be around and she has a really big heart,” Williams said.
A parishioner of St. Joseph, Fullerton, who attended St. Ursula School in Parkville, Hahn volunteers at Northeast Regional Recreation Center in Parkville, where she works with people of all ages with developmental disabilities. She teaches them to play lacrosse and goes on field trips to places such as the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
“I absolutely love it,” Hahn said. “It takes a lot of patience, but it’s so worth it.”
At IND, Hahn has a 3.68 GPA, is vice president of the National Honor Society and a member of the Spanish National Honor Society. She takes mostly honors courses.
The 17-year-old will attend York College of Pennsylvania in the fall. Eyeing a career in broadcast journalism, she plans to major in mass communications.
At York, Hahn plans to play intramural basketball, as she has been captain of the IND varsity since her sophomore year. A 5-foot-7-inch guard, Hahn has been playing since her father, Gerard, the Penguins’ coach, got her involved at age 5.
As a captain, Hahn said “I have to keep everyone’s focus together,” a charge that shouldn’t be difficult Feb. 1, when IND meets Mercy High School in their 47th annual marquee game. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. at the Towson Center, in what is annually one of the best-attended women’s athletic events in the area.
IND won “The Game” last year, 33-32.
Hahn also played varsity lacrosse as a sophomore and may play the sport this spring.
Jennifer Hahn
Institute of Notre Dame
Senior
Credentials: Member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society; involved in campus and peer ministry; extraordinary minister of holy Communion; student ambassador; volunteers with people with developmental disabilities; three-time varsity basketball captain
Previous Athlete of the Week profiles:
Mount St. Joseph senior is a team player
Mount Carmel senior is a faith leader
Quick turnaround for Spalding senior
Loyola junior sets example for his peers
Seton Keough senior takes the cake
Calvert Hall’s Grace family upholds family name
Copyright (c) Jan. 16, 2013 CatholicReview.org