From humble beginnings to goals of being a cardiothoracic surgeon, Hanny Alvarez has undoubtedly left a legacy defined by kindness, drive, and sociability. Maintaining several impressive leadership roles in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), The Hispanic Organization Promoting Education (HOPE), and the Student Council — you have likely seen her around campus, housing an aura that makes her instantly likable.
As March is Women's History Month, Hanny was a perfect candidate to highlight as our next Feature Femme. With that being said, I was able to speak with her recently in a wide-ranging conversation, which has only further solidified my previous perception of her: a hard-working, yet gentle individual.
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
"So, about me and my personal life... I am the oldest of 5 children, but my parents are not from here, they came from Mexico — so that mainly shaped who I am as a person. I do have both of my parents in my life, thank God, and they're lovely individuals. I'm really grateful to have them in my life, I appreciate them more than anything. Especially my father, since his advice is what helps me make my life choices. I have a lot of responsibilities [laughs]!"
With the senior year coming to a close, what do you think stands out as the most impactful experience for you throughout high school?
"Forming close relationships with teachers! When I was younger, I never expected to have that with my teachers, especially since school is so school, it's so academic, you wouldn't think you would be tight with them. But as I grew older, I became more comfortable talking with teachers and telling them about my personal life or who I am as a person. Seeing that happen, it's quite shocking. At the same time, it's comforting, knowing that there is an adult who genuinely understands you and wants to hear you out. Like in, I don't know, middle school, it would just feel so awkward talking to an adult about personal problems. Having somebody I can speak with is quite nice. Other than that, learning how different teachers actually teach and seeing what works best for me has been very eye-opening."
Totally get that, high school is so much more tumultuous than people expect, so having those kinds of relationships is important. Now, I definitely wanna ask about the Princeton Summer Journalism Program because that is an incredible accomplishment! If you're willing, can you share your insights and takeaways from participating?
"There's a lot actually! To begin with, it was such an honor to do that program because at first, I didn't think I was going to get in. I just applied on a whim to see what would happen, but once I got accepted, it was a lot! A lot happened in such a short amount of time. I know for a fact that at the beginning, I met these incredible people —my friends that I still talk to today— who have achieved so many great things. A lot of them are going to very prestigious universities like Yale, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, and Princeton, really good schools! So hearing about their success and how they were able to make it makes me believe that I can accomplish things, too. Knowing that I was given this wonderful opportunity, I have a chance. But in regard to the program, it was absolutely wonderful! They attend to everything since they target low-income individuals, they help out by paying all your expenses so you don't have to be worried about anything. Like, for the plane tickets, they make sure that you have people that you can speak with while trying to board the plane and while trying to get home. I met Ken, he went to Bates College, he was a counselor and basically took care of us through the boarding class, especially since it was my second time being on a plane."
"But being there, being on the actual campus... I never thought I would be there, in an Ivy League institution, sleeping in their dorms and eating their food. It was so weird because it was so surreal. All the buildings were so beautiful, like, you feel like you're in a castle! Talking to some of those people, it feels like maybe you don't belong there, but all the work that you did paid off. I would recommend that program to anybody, to everybody. You don't necessarily need journalism experience. I know when I applied, I didn't have any. it's about how you write and how you present yourself, how real you are. That's what draws the admissions team to accept you. They want real authentic people, not people who are gonna act robotic or people who focus solely on their academics. No, they're gonna accept people with personality and who will bring cheer to their campus. Having cheer, having personality, is what grabs the attention of people. So, yeah! I loved it. The food was great, the dorms were pretty, I would recommend anybody to at least try to apply to an Ivy League institution because even if you believe you can't, there is a slight chance that you might be accepted."
I love that. So, I know you have goals of going to a really prestigious university, like an Ivy League, do you think being on the physical campus solidified that for you?
"Yes, especially since I also went to Dartmouth. Having both experiences, it made me say 'I want to go to an Ivy League!' Having all these wonderful things and having lots of friends, being able to sleep in the dorms, having more opportunities than I would ever have at any other institution— it's always been my goal. Seeing all the wonderful people and how accepting they were, and seeing all the architecture, too! It was just so beautiful, it made me feel like a princess [laughs]."
With that being said, having known you since elementary school, I can confidently say that you have always made a name for yourself as a high-achieving student, but I imagine it can get overwhelming. So, I wanna ask, how do you deal with pressure from the high expectations placed on you, especially with leadership positions like in Student Council, HOSA, and HOPE?
"Phew. Well, it is a lot. I have to say, it is...a lot. Even right now, I am very stressed. What I do is just try to calm myself down. I know that because even if I can't do it all, I calm myself down by reminding myself that I did everything I could do. So it's not my fault if, you know, I can't do everything. That's what a lot of my teachers tell me, they don't expect me to complete everything. I can try, but we're not robots, we're human. Sometimes, we just can't do it all. I try to give myself an hour to chill, spend some time on TikTok, just take a nap, be myself, to not focus on school or anything else. But talking to people especially helps, it reminds you that you're going to get through it. Organizing my thoughts, knowing what I need to complete first, or creating a list definitely calms me down so I'm not as stressed. Gives me a mental break."
That's definitely important. There's so much stress from high school, especially during your senior year, that I feel like a lot of people tend to sacrifice their well-being. if you feel comfortable, could you discuss a time when maybe you faced doubt or uncertainty about your abilities, and how did you overcome that?
"Ah, yes. There have been multiple [laughs]. But the main one would be during my junior year... so basically, I was applying to a program and I didn't get in. At first, I felt sad and tried to hide it from everybody, I didn't want to tell them that I had gotten rejected since it was my first time applying somewhere where they were gonna offer me a really good opportunity. I cried, I cried a lot. But once I was able to open up and talk to my mother about it, she calmed me down and told me that it was all gonna be okay. There will be programs that'll accept me and I'll be able to achieve much more than I could with that one. Honestly, it's just out of our control. It's just not meant to be. We'll end up where we need to be. Being told that helped me calm down and it motivated me to apply to more things so that I could see what I could achieve. Even if it felt like I was unworthy, it really pushed me -- like, for the Princeton Summer Journalism Program, I genuinely thought I wasn't going to get in! I just applied for fun, but after going through all these stages and seeing I was getting accepted, I was like, damn, maybe there is a chance that I could actually get into the school! So, you know, sometimes when we experience loss or rejection, it just redirects our passions and our abilities into things that are much greater than what we were originally offered. Even if I cried a lot at first and I was too embarrassed to tell anybody, eventually it paid off, I was dedicated and motivated rather than just stuck on this one rejection."
What advice would you give to the high-achieving underclassmen who, similarly to you —since I know you have plans of getting into the medical field— have ambitious goals for the future?
"I have a lot! First, begin early. Do not procrastinate. When everybody tells you, 'Do not procrastinate,' they mean it! Begin your personal statements early, begin creating a list of the colleges you want to attend, and determine whether those colleges are reach schools or auto-admissable schools. Organizing your activities and making sure you are participating in clubs and organizations, specifically ones that relate to your career. So for me, I'm mainly focusing on HOPE, HOSA, and Student Council, because they relate to my goals, my values. For student council, I love helping my community and making sure everybody is heard. For HOSA, well, that applies to my career, I want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. For HOPE, it applies to my culture. I'm Mexican, so I want to make sure I'm feeling empowered and that I'm empowering other Hispanics to continue seeking higher education. Giving yourself a story that will let colleges see who you are."
"Other than that, when creating your resume... make sure it's good because not only is it used by colleges, but it's used by jobs as well. Creating a good schedule so that you know how you want to work. It's gonna get tense sometimes, you'll receive so many assignments that you won't even know where to begin. Having a schedule keeps you organized. Along with that, I would suggest applying to programs! It'll really let you explore what careers you want to venture into. So like, if you're interested in journalism: Princeton Summer Journalism Program! There was this one girl I helped recently who got into a Hispanic government program where they're gonna fly her out to Washington D.C.!"
"And then the third piece of advice: take high school seriously! Especially freshman year, that's what sets the other four years. Choosing good classes that you know for a fact you're gonna do well in will help set you up for success. Take your classes seriously, and take your teachers seriously because you'll never know which one is gonna write your teacher recommendation, so be nice to them! Even if they can be mean or unfair, it'll pay off. But also, just enjoy high school! Participate in events, like homecoming or prom or senior events, because that's what makes a high school like High School Musical."
Of course! To finish us off, even though you have not committed anywhere yet, what about college are you most excited about?
"I'm really excited to meet new people and be in new environments. For me, I have plans to hopefully attend a school out of Georgia, out of state, so I'm really excited to just be somewhere new and explore my career field. I know higher institutions have more opportunities, so I'm excited to do things that my ancestors weren't able to do and share those accomplishments with my parents. Because I know, that even if I don't make it to one of those colleges, I know that they're proud of me, and they're happy to see me succeed in ways they couldn't. I'm excited to experience things that they couldn't."
It was a pleasure to speak with Hanny. Her ambitions are nothing short of admirable, and she embodies the hard work many female students at Central Gwinnett demonstrate. If interested, here is a link to the 2023 Princeton Summer Journal, where you can read Hanny's work, titled, "Studying Baby Babble at the Lab and at Home," along with the other articles written by student journalists. Happy Women's History Month!
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