Choosing a profession can be challenging for young people, but Paducah Tilghman High School senior Hanna Scott got a little career inspiration from her mother, Julie.
“My mom is a special-ed teacher. I would always come in and help her out, doing stuff around like copying papers or coming in and working with students,” she said.
“I just realized that I enjoy it more than I enjoyed other things I was thinking about going into, but one of the main things I really like about it is like the psychology with it. I plan to be more on the psychological-based side of special-ed teaching.”
Scott, 17, said she thinks it’s important every child gets a chance to learn, noting some special education students may not get the education they need or the exact resources they need. She’s looking to study early childhood learning and behavior disorders.
“I feel like it’s an important job that not a lot of people are going into,” Scott added.
Scott, daughter of Derek and Julie Scott of Paducah, is the Paducah Bank Teen of the Week.
Each Monday and Tuesday, The Sun publishes profile stories on area high school seniors who are chosen from a group of nominees for Teen of the Week recognition. Around the end of the school year, a selection committee will choose one of these students as Teen of the Year. This honor brings with it a $5,000 scholarship. Another student will receive the Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship.
Scott has earned a cumulative weighted GPA above 3.9 at Paducah Tilghman.
In extracurricular activities, Scott is a pitcher for Paducah Tilghman’s varsity softball team and can play first base. She’s been part of the school bowling team and serves as vice president for the African American Leadership Club. She’s a member of National Honor Society. She was also selected as a Paxton Scholar in 2019.
“I’m a pretty competitive person and I like the atmosphere that softball has because it’s very fast-paced and a very team-involved sport,” Scott said. “I love playing with my teammates. I love pushing them. I love the drive and I like seeing other people have the same — I guess — goal of winning. I also like the exercise.”
Outside of school, Scott played travel softball for years and recently got a job working at a local business. She’s a Paducah Bank Teen Ambassador and a member of the Black Coal and Roses Society, which Scott described as a program for young women of color.
She particularly enjoys the school’s African American Leadership Club.
“We haven’t been able to do as much with COVID, but we still try to get out and do some volunteering activities and talk about the history of African Americans in the United States and talk about what’s going on in our country currently,” Scott said.
With her high school graduation only months away, Scott said she’s “really looking forward” to the next step and going to college. She’s planning to attend either Transylvania University in Lexington or Murray State University, a little closer to home.
By: Kelly Farrell