Hannah Belknap (center) with Drs. Allison Manning and Christina Mead.
Hannah Belknap has been named the Honors Student of the Month.
She was nominated by faculty Drs. Allison Manning and Christina Mead of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Hannah is a senior majoring in Communication Disorders and Sciences and minoring in School and Counseling Psychology. From Hammond, NY, she graduated from Hammond Central School.
“Hannah is a model student. She maintains a high GPA and balances academic, professional and social commitments with ease. She has established professional working relationships with faculty and staff in CDS and has also become a peer-mentor and leader. - Dr. Allison Manning
The faculty praised Hannah’s enthusiasm for learning and for her future profession, as well as her incredible engagement in activities across campus, saying “Hannah is a model student. She maintains a high GPA and balances academic, professional and social commitments with ease. She has established professional working relationships with faculty and staff in CDS and has also become a peer-mentor and leader... Additionally, she is an excellent representative of the Honors Program and sharing the benefits and ‘perks’ with her peers.”
Hannah’s advice for her Fredonia peers is “Don’t let others prevent you from achieving your goals. You can do anything with the support of great friends and family.” She has built for herself an incredible network of meaningful and long-lasting relationships with professors and friends across campus, and especially within her department.
She has served as a Junior Counselor-Tour Guide with the Office of Admissions, as President of Operation Smile and Chairperson of the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society in education. She is also a member of Fredonia’s chapter of National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA), Students Against Suicide, the Alma Mater Society and Psi Chi Honor Society in psychology.
Through all these roles, Hannah has maintained a superb GPA (3.77). She has also — through the Honors Program — pursued “internships and research that have helped me become prepared for my next step in life.” This semester, her HONR 390: Advanced Learning Project supervised by Dr. Manning involves completed clinical simulation case studies. As Dr. Manning noted, “Undergraduate students do not typically complete a clinical placement or student teaching as part of their BS degree, and this advanced learning project allows her to supplement her clinical knowledge with applied-learning experiences.“ She has submitted to present at SURC West and is currently working on a poster presentation proposal for a national convention.
Dr. Mead added that “Hannah is well respected within our department as a student that goes above and beyond. She is eager to share her experiences and knowledge with peers in meaningful ways. She is always willing to help and frequently jumps in to offer assistance without hesitation both for her fellow classmates and for faculty and staff.” Hannah has worked to organize two student trips to attend professional conferences. For a trip this spring, as Treasurer of NSSHLA [National Student Speech Language Hearing Association], Hannah “has worked diligently to secure funding for this trip and to support as many students as possible who wish to participate.”
Hannah will pursue her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology at SUNY Fredonia in the fall. She hopes to continue being a junior counselor and being active within campus clubs and supporting the upcoming students. After she has her degree and licensure, Ms. Belknap plans to continue her clinical fellowship back home in Hammond.
The Honors Student of the Month Program is a collaboration between the Honors Program and Honors House, which is part of the Office of Residence Life.
