Alumni Spotlight

John Hanawalt '10

Before coming to Stonehill, I had been a student at a university where a single class could fill Stonehill's Hemingway Theater. As a Visual and Performing Arts major here at Stonehill, the benefits of a smaller campus are immeasurable.

Where it might be a miracle to have a professor remember your name at another school, my professors here know me both as a person and as an artist; and the support they have offered has created opportunities I cannot imagine finding elsewhere. I am constantly stopping by Professor Stanton's (the head of the graphic design program) office for feedback on any number of projects-from a series of posters I am working on advertising the design course offerings, to the campus culture magazine I lay out and illustrate each semester, to submissions for design contests that I would have never heard of were it not for him.

Everyone on campus wants to help you achieve your fullest potential. Professor Crowe is helping me get funding from the Visual and Performing Arts department to attend a Tufts conference on art and activism, a conversation I hope to bring back to campus with me. The staff, too is committed to students' success. I would often be lost without Beth Pearson, the administrative assistant for the art department (and the English department, the Communication Department, the Honors Program...).

I think that in a very real sense, getting that sort of nurturing attention makes it easier for you to contribute to the community in turn. My time at Stonehill College has helped cultivate a passion for the arts that has led me to found a group with students from other artistic disciplines that sponsors creative events on campus, including a student art exhibit. When you have a network of support ensuring your own success, you can be a stronger resource for others.

John is from Easton, MA.

Photo credit: Jennifer Terranella '09