Hannah Stoddard, who is majoring in international studies, found that Honors has given her a way to connect her major, her personal experiences, and her passion. The intersection of these different parts of Hannah’s life has resulted in a pool project aimed to improve local communities. 

This semester, Hannah took HN 400, a one credit class where Honors seniors complete an individual project with faculty support and guidance. Her project is focused on improving accessibility to pools, swim lessons, and water safety training for Spokane residents. 

This project stemmed from Hannah’s five years of experience working as a lifeguard and swim instructor, which gave her first-hand experience of the barriers which inhibit students from access to pools and swim lessons. 

Hannah is excited about how this project intersects with her major. 

“I majored in international studies because I was interested in human rights and injustice,” she said. “Although my project will not be implemented on an international scale (or in another country), I will be able to address human rights issues, such as the right to access a pool and socioeconomic inequality.”

Hannah’s project involves working with the Spokane Public Schools (SPS) and Spokane Parks and Recreation (SPR) to implement greater collaboration between these two groups and implement increased accessibility for students and their families. 

While SPR has done great work reducing barriers to pool access for Spokane residents, Hannah said “there has been very little dialogue between SPS and SPR on ways in which they can partner to target student access.” 

There are a few barriers to increasing collaboration between these groups. Hannah recognized that these two groups cannot always work together because all Spokane City pools are outdoor and operate seasonally, which means they are not open until the end of the school year. 

However, there are still ways in which these groups can implement effective collaboration. Hannah’s current proposal is to implement water safety days in middle and elementary schools. This would allow SPR staff to educate students on safe water practices. She also hopes that SPR can spread awareness of lifeguard and CPR/First Aid training to SPS high schools. 

After Hannah graduates she plans to spend the summer back in her hometown working as a lifeguard and swim instructor. 

“It’s a small way to give back to my community, and I love to reconnect with the families I’ve been teaching swim lessons for the past five years,” she said. 

She is also interested in improving accessibility to pools and swim lessons in her own hometown. Her hometown has an 84 year-old public pool which serves growing populations in three separate towns. 

“Pool accessibility is a major issue, and there is very little pool space to meet the community’s demands for swim lessons. There are many ideas I learned from this project that I want to apply in my hometown,” she said. 

There is also the possibility that she will work with the non-profit called SplashFORWARD after she graduates. As part of her project, Hannah worked with them to determine how to implement water safety days. SplashFORWARD is now working on a standardized curriculum and learning guidelines for schools that teach water competency and safety. After collaborating with them on her HN 400 project, SplashFORWARD asked if Hannah would work with them after graduation helping gather state funding for aquatic programs and facilities. 

After working over the summer, Hannah plans to take the Foreign Service Officer Test in September so she can join the Foreign Service sometime within the next few years. 

For the fall, her current plan is to intern for a Senator or Representative in Washington, D.C.