¡Hola!  I'm Hannah Conner, a sophomore International Studies student here at UK!  I am focusing on Latin America and development within International Studies.  I was drawn to UK at a very young age with a long line of family members who "bleed blue".  The decision was not a difficult one for me because I loved everything about UK- the city, the sports, the study abroad opportunities, campus ministries, and the overall atmosphere that seems to encompass the campus. Everyone here has been so eager to help and share insight with me in all areas of my life.  I could not ask for a better university.  I grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  I had an awesome experience growing up there especially with the opportunities in my backyard provided by Western Kentucky University.  But, WKU was not what I was looking for in my college experience.

I work in the best department within the College of Arts and Sciences which is the Project Management Office.  It has been such an incredible opportunity to work with people who care so much not only about providing events catered to the student population but at the same time strive to help me succeed at work and in my studies.

When I graduate I hope to move abroad somewhere in Latin/South America.  I really have no idea what I want to do exactly but honestly, that excites me.  I am confident that a door will open and that I will hear a call.  And when that happens, I will go!  Teaching English is something that I would love to have the chance to do but one of my dreams would be to open or work in an orphanage.

This past summer I had the opportunity to live in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and work on staff with Sparrow Missions.  It was my third trip with them but the chance to live there for a month lead me to fall more in love with the people and culture.  One of my favorite memories this past summer is waking up at 6AM to go pick up about 40 kids from Los Bordos, a shanty town/ river community we do a lot of ministry within, in a little pickup truck to go to school.  They are sponsored through Sparrow and now have the opportunity to learn and get an education that they would otherwise not have.  The kids, dressed in their uniforms, would sit and talk about what they were going to learn that day and about their homework from the night before.  One afternoon when we went to go pick up the kids, a few of the older boys asked if they could stay late and work with some of their teachers on some schoolwork they had problems with.  It was beautiful to see them so enthusiastic about learning.  They love learning.  They motivate me to continue learning!