Hannah Flannery likes to make bracelets, or at least she seems like she does. She has a length of string braided and taped to the table, which she set aside during our interview.
“Would you like one? You can just text me 4 to 5 of your favorite colors and I can make you one. I might take me a while though,” Flannery said after I concluded our talk.
Flannery looked right at home at a table in Café Ogle, her laptop out and covered in colorful stickers. It looks as though she has been at this table for a while, made her herself feel as comfortable as she always does at Bellarmine.
“I feel like it’s my first home, honestly. I never really felt a sense of belonging in Chicago like I do at Bellarmine,” Flannery said. “I hear everyone say of it’s my second home or it’s my home away from home. Quarantine was so hard because I felt like I was displaced.”
Flannery is a senior psychology major. She is a very active member of the Bellarmine community; currently she is a hall host, tour guide and president of the Resident Hall Association (RHA), and she previously worked as a resident assistant in the dorms.
Flannery said she is lucky she got into Bellarmine, as it changed the whole course of her life.
“When I got here, I decided I would be involved as I could and just get the best grades that I could. I kind of lived up to that too well in terms of involvement,” Flannery said. “I think it’s just wanting to prove that I was better person than I was in high school that was the thing that motivated me.”
Senior Colleen Begley works with Flannery on RHA and she said she was thrilled to hear that Flannery would be joining the organization this year.
“I’ve been a part of [RHA] since my sophomore year, so I’ve watched it grow and fall and grow again and Hannah is literally one of the foundational pieces to RHA and it’s grown as a new revitalized organization,” Begley said. “She embodies the spirit and the passion that you need to be engaged with a residential community and that’s what we need a president who stands and who is willing to like give their all to something.”
In her position at RHA, Flannery said she tries to make sure they are meeting the needs of students and they are conscious about student struggles.
“I would never have gotten to this point of being an ally that I am now, so I want to be aware of all students while I’m on RHA,” Flannery said.
Shelby Sullivan, assistant dean of undergraduate admissions, works with Flannery and she has seen Flannery’s love for BU firsthand. Sullivan said Flannery is sharing her BU story through her position in the Admission Office. She said it’s apparent that Flannery loves spreading joy and BU hospitality to all potential students through her tours.
“Hannah is always the first student to volunteer to give an extra tour to families. I love her eagerness to share her Bellarmine story,” Sullivan said. “I think she represents a leader because of her commitment to share Bellarmine’s hospitality, which has allowed her to have a transformative experience.”
Flannery said allyship and social change are big part of her personality both inside and outside of BU. She recently spoke at the Breonna Taylor vigil on campus and has been to protests in Louisville as well.
She said being in Louisville during this time of civil unrest continues to open her eyes to her privilege and makes her want to protest and learn more.
“The last four years have been about changing my views and acknowledging my white privilege. I’ve changed a lot in that way by educating myself as much as I can,” Flannery said. “I am trying to get a bigger view to help me understand the privilege when I used to say that I didn’t want to protest. That’s not an option now.”
Hannah Brown, a close friend of Flannery’s, said Flannery has always been the type of person to take care of others and is driven to achieve social change.
“She’s gonna end up being someone who really takes care of the people who are doing the work maybe and help them heal and support,” Brown said. “She implements helping and uplifting the BU community through what I know that she is involved in. When she’s in public role she uplifts fellow students.”
Flannery said she still has so much to accomplish before she finishes her time at BU. She also said her activist heart isn’t stopping at Louisville.
“The best way I can change the future is to educate myself as much as I can and protest as much as I can,” Flannery said. “But unfortunately, my education comes first because how can I do anything without getting a degree first. How can I reform unless I have that degree?”