My Story: Blog Post #1

 My name is Hannah Pell and I am from Manassas Virginia. I went to a private Catholic high school in Fairfax called Paul VI. I come from a big family; I am the fourth child out of five. I spent a lot of my time in Fairfax, as my family owns a seafood restaurant over there as well, so I consider it my second hometown. I would often go to school and then immediately walk down the road if my mom had to pick me up from school one day. I chose CNU because I wanted a school that was smaller. Both of my older brothers went to CNU, so I have visited previously and thought the campus was beautiful.

My two close friends from childhood, Nick and Josie, were also admitted at the same time I was, so I thought it was a perfect time to get back together. I ended up rooming with Josie, who I have roomed with ever since freshmen year. My older sister went to Virginia Tech and I was stuck between the two colleges. I ended up with CNU because of the intimate class size, set up of the buildings, and overall beautiful campus. The distance from CNU and my home town is a perfect distance for undergraduates. It’s around 2 hours and 45 minutes, gives or take the Northern Virginia traffic. So I can visit home if I need to (which does not happen very often) but also have space and the freedom to be independent. 

As a senior now reflecting on my choice, I could not have picked a better college to go to. Virginia Tech is an amazing school, but I felt like I would have been overwhelmed if I went there. The size of the school is almost triple the size of CNU, and the campus is huge and so confusing. The couple times I have gone to visit my sister, I would be so lost trying to find a building or even the bathroom in the dorm room. As a person who struggles with anxiety, class sizes going over 200 which includes daily participation would really stress me out. After comparing and contrasting each school, I finally decided on CNU. They also have a good psychology program, which is what I study, so it was a perfect fit for me. 

I have many different hobbies and interests, many of which are not that interesting or special. I am really passionate about music. I am constantly listening to music, with at least one airpod in at all times. I listen when I walk to and from class, walk to my car, drive home, cook dinner, do homework, etc. When I was younger, around late middle school and early high school age, I listened to EDM, strictly Ariana Grande’s first two albums, alternative pop, normal pop music, and a little sprinkle of rap mixtapes. Once I became a sophomore in high school, my taste in music completely changed for the most part. 

I still was listening to Ariana Grande (that obsession started with Victorious) and the pop sound, but I ventured into different genres of music. I jumped into genres like R&B, neo-soul, rap, and hip hop, and steered away from EDM and alternative pop. I can thank SZA’s CTRL album which was released during that year for changing the way I listen to music. That album completely changed my taste in music for the better. 2016 was an amazing year for music, and I am glad I was able to listen to it when I did. Iconic albums dropped that year like ANTI by Rihanna, Blonde by Frank Ocean, Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper, and Lemonade by Beyonce. These quickly defined my taste in music; the lyricism, beat, and the story of each album easily passed the other mediocre music I was listening to. 

Another favorite thing to do in my past time is to play video games. I have always been surrounded by video games. My older brothers have been playing for as long as I can remember. When I was as young as 6, I remember playing Mario kart on the Nintendo Game Cube with my family. Video games are a very nostalgic, fun, and relaxing experience for me. One of my favorite games of all time is The Legend of Zelda; Breath of the Wild. This game is a perfect combination of open-world play and action adventure. It was released in 2017, but I didn’t play it until I got a Nintendo Switch in 2020 for my birthday. The day after my birthday happens to be the day before COVID shut everything down. I do not have much time to play games during the school year, but during breaks, I play constantly. Overall, it is one of my favorite hobbies to partake in.