My Bio

Hannah Beal

                                        
                                     Birth/Family/Childhood.

My sister Elizabeth and I.

Me and my brother Matthew.

     October seventeenth was the day that I was born. I’m originally from Riverside, California but moved to Santee when I was about eight years old. Throughout my life, i’ve been through a lot of obstacles, but I couldn’t have done it without my family. I have three brothers; Matthew who is the youngest of the three, and Michael and Christopher who are both my half-brothers. I also have one older sister, Elizabeth, who just so happens to be my best friend. Because of my parents divorce when I was about six, i’ve grown to appreciate the true meaning of family. I now am so grateful for my step-dad Kenny. He was so understanding about my family’s situation and willingly took the role of being the “father figure” that we so desperately needed. The most influential person in my life is definitely my mom. When I was young I didn’t understand the decisions she made, especially when she divorced my dad, but as I got older, I learned that all she wanted to do was protect me. My mom is the strongest woman I know and I can’t imagine where I would be without her. Throughout my childhood I moved around a lot because of my parents divorce. I went to three different elementary schools, so it was always difficult making friends because of being the “new girl.” I applaud my mom for staying sane throughout this, what seems like, perilous journey. When i moved to Santee, it was unfamiliar territory. But then, I met my best friends; Kristine Dlouhy, Sarina Guida, Heather Tavolazzi, Cassie Dotta, and Hailey Sarks. Although I met them all at different times throughout my elementary and high school careers, I love them all very much and hope to continue our friendships after high school. 
                                               Hobbies and Interests
     Growing up, I had a lot of hobbies and interests. I wasn’t really interested in sports, but every once in a while I tried being active. When I was in 6th and 7th grade, I cheered but discontinued because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Then I tried a less-girly sport: basketball. I played on the Santee American Basketball team (SAB) when I was in eighth grade and I had a blast. I also played soccer, but my freshman year team wasn’t very good so I decided not to pursue it throughout high school. In my spare time, I love to sing and write songs. I feel as if writing songs is the only way to let off steam, or show my true feelings. I was in choir for three years so I regularly perform in front of a lot people.There’s just something about singing in front of a big crowd; it gives me the biggest adrenaline rush and it makes me feel like I need to try harder than my last performance. Other than singing, I like to volunteer around my community. In the past year i’ve volunteered over fifty hours of community service. It’s not much considering its been a year already but it looks good on job applications! One sport i’ve recently grown interest in is snowboarding because I just love being in the snow. I love the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair as i’m racing my sister down the mountain and the rush I get when I land a jump.

                                                        Anecdotes
     When I Moved to San Diego, I only had one dog named Wishbone. My parents got her when i was born and she was the best friend a girl could have. Sadly when my parents got divorced, my mom and us three kids moved into an apartment that didn’t allow dogs, so we had to have one of my mom’s friends take care of her for a while. Finally when my mom married my step-dad a few years later, we were able to have Wishbone again. It wasn’t until I got a phone call from my mom that Wishbone had passed away due to a seizure. I was heartbroken. But because I was young, I got over Wishbones death rather quickly. Not long after Wishbone died, I got yet another phone call from my mom but this time she said she found a puppy! It was unusual because my mom said one of her co-workers found it on the side of the freeway, but I didn’t care. I was just so excited to have a new addition to our family. We named her Sarah Lee. She was a little brown chihuahua. From that day on, I found a new best friend. Every night, to this day, Sarah Lee is by my side 24/7. She even Sleeps in my bed every right next to me.

      September 30, 2011 marks the toughest day of my life. That was the day I found out my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. When my mom told us the horrific news, my heart sank. From that day on, I knew that I had to be stronger than I was before, mentally and physically, not only for myself, but for my family also. For a couple months my mom was eventually scheduled for surgery to hopefully remove the cancerous lumps before they made her even more sick. Thankfully, the surgery was complete, but it resulted in my mom getting her breasts completely removed. It was all worth it because she didn’t let cancer dominate her life. Like I said before, my mom is the strongest person I know.

                                                      Career
     What I aspire to be when i’m older is an Oceanographer. I’ve always been interested in the features of the Earth , especially the ocean. I understand it will be a long process to get where i want to be, but in the end it will all be worth it. To capture the reality of becoming an Oceanographer, I obviously need to go to college. I just recently enrolled at Grossmont Community College where they have excellent classes involving the geography of the Earth. After getting my masters degree at Grossmont, i plan to transfer to a 4-year university, such as San Diego State University or the University of San Diego just so i can really focus on what I want to major in and become a specialist. Hopefully my dreams won’t change, but if they do, i’ll do whatever it takes to make myself happy, and enjoy whatever I end up choosing as a career.

Cassie Dotta

Hailey Sparks

Heather Tavolazzi

Sarina Guida

Kristine Dlouhy