Name: Hannah Jaus
Age: 15
Title: Face of Foothills Finalist
City you live in: Chandler
A typical day in my life includes…
waking up at the crack of dawn to get to my zero hour class at 6:30am. Typically, that is my AP comparative government class. I’ll be at school until about 4p if swim season is on and if not, staying for unified soccer practice where I help developmentally challenged kids learn how to play soccer and employ teamwork based skills. I then take the late bus home and do my homework. Depending on the day of the week I’ll either go to VASA (my gym) for a fit camp before the main gym opens or go to tutoring at the bridge. Afterwards I eat dinner with my family and finish any leftover homework. Then I’ll set up my stuff to be ready to go for tomorrow.
I was born…
alive fortunately but for geographic purposes, I was born in Las Vegas NV.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
despite the fact it is primarily a dry, hot desert full of rocks and scorpions whose primary claim to fame is a giant chasm in the earth, Arizona has a rugged serene quality. It also has variety of cultures and climates if you can get out of Phoenix for awhile and it also has the most beautiful sunsets.
I’m listening to…
Piano Man by Billy Joel.
My family…
I have a bit of an extended family as my grandmother lives with us as she typically doesn’t do well on her own. She helps us out by cooking and driving us places if mom and dad aren’t available. I have a brother who is one year older than me who is very laid back but also very successful at whatever he puts his mind to. He plays Varsity football and takes all honors classes and gets a weighted GPA of more than 4.0. My mom is definitely the Queen of the house and keeps things organized and running even after working a full day. My dad works very long hours so I don’t see as much of him as I’d like but he keeps us in extra curricular activities with the extra income and really splurges when he gets time off and we can all get time together. He does things like take us on helicopter rides, goes to amusement parks and has us take cruises to really cool places.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
Rick Riordan. He is the author of many of my favorite book series. I adore his writing style which is both witty and very real. His books focus on ancient lore and mythological histories including Greek, Roman, and Egyptian deities that we don’t learn much about today. I think his character development arcs are phenomenal and they deal with very real problems including abusive relationships, depression and self esteem issues. These topics are very real for kids and teens today. Many of the characters also represent minority groups including POC and LGBT. I think it would be amazing to meet him face to face and talk with him over dinner.
One thing I cannot live without…
oxygen mostly, followed by food and water. I don’t think I would be quite right without my dog, Pumpkin, either.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
an author for fiction books. I’d always enjoyed reading and writing. I’d read just about anything I could get my little hands on, and I could write about almost everything. I always had stories running through my head and I always thought one day I’d put them down on paper and become an author.
I’m inspired by…
my parents. They’ve been together over 20 years and are still going strong. They are always busy but also always make time when things really need attention or need to get accomplished. I have never really wanted for anything and if something came up that I really wanted to do or was inspired by, they seemed to be able get it done and support my goals. It may not always have it .immediately but if it was important, they made it happen. It is nice to know that I am supported so reliably and they will go out of their way to have my back.
The one person who motivates me is…
my brother Ryan. He is very smart and athletic and seems to have a lot of success without putting in a whole lot of effort. Frankly, it’s kind of irritating but when all is said and done and I pull down grades comparable to his and get the Principal’s Academic Honors Award so it makes it worthwhile.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
for people to regain a general respect for humanity. There are so many people now who range from criminal level violence to people who just disagree on things but they are hostile to different perspectives. I’ve seen this go to the point that they feel differing opinions are evil and people should be silenced or ostracized, sometimes violently. If we got back to the point where we recognize our commonalities as people, and don’t assume the worst of others if they have different ideas, I think the world would be a better place.
The perfect day would be…
getting a good night’s sleep and waking up feeling refreshed, eating some of my favorite fruit for breakfast including bananas, watermelon, and oranges, then going for a walk when it’s still nice and cool outside. I would then come back to read a new book and sit with my whole family. I’d also go see my best friend Jaden and we’d draw together. Later I’d go for a swim and at night I’d curl up under a blanket on the couch with snacks and a (non-alcoholic) drink and watch a funny movie before going to bed. I think that would be perfect.
My first job was…
working in the junior high cafeteria with the lunch ladies. I was head student worker and I prepared the lunches for all of the other student workers as well as working alongside the cafeteria personnel, grabbing the food that the students in line ordered.
My favorite escape…
is swimming until I can’t think of anything but the water around me. When I’m not competing against other swimmers, I still prefer the water, whether it’s the ocean around Cozumel or jumping into a refreshing cenote in the Yucatan peninsula.
My life…
is a bit hectic but I think it’s going to help prepare me for the real world which will invariably sneak up and demand things of me at some point in the future.
Always…
bring your A game as you can never recover a bad first impression.
I’m currently working on…
getting good grades and preparing for my SAT test next year. The other project I’m working on is my MYP personal project which is about utilizing battery and transmission lines to store and send energy captured through lightning farms. This project forces me to find innovative ways to overcome obstacles and solve problems for outstanding issues.
Always…
push to go one step further than you think you can. Do the extra repetition, practice one more time. We get better and show ourselves that we can overcome obstacles and adversity if we are willing to use our willpower and determination.
Never…
swallow dry ice. My dad has told me stories. It wasn’t good.
Favorite Quote…
“The question isn’t ‘who’s going to let me’; it’s ‘who’s going to stop me'” – Ayn Rand…it just boils down to me being the master of my fate and not having others dictate my life.
Biggest Dream…
I want to be able to get to the point where I can settle down with a large enough house and piece of land to handle a half dozen large breed dogs like Mastiffs, Great Danes and Akitas. Want to be able to do some gardening, reading and drawing as well. This will all of course be after I’ve travelled to a variety of places around the world.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
people who choose to remain uninformed or tied into thought processes even if given facts regarding the scenario that may contradict their beliefs…and lazy people.
Summarize yourself in one sentence…
I’m a very focused individual who likes to set a high bar when creating my path because the greater the hurdles, the greater the rewards.
