Blend a passion for history with a talent for theatrics, and you get someone who can make the past come alive. That’s Kyra Hanes. Dynamic and engaged, she plans to be a history teacher who banishes boredom from the classroom. “I know a lot of students hate history because they’ve had a bad teacher in the past,” she says. “I really want to change that and show students that history is fun and exciting.”
Kyra is majoring in social studies and history with a minor in theatre. She chose ONU because she wanted to attend a smaller university where she could make connections with her professors. ONU, she says, is home to some of the best people she has ever met. “The professors here are very interested in your learning. They want you to follow what you are interested in and will guide you to the right path that best fits you. They are also so much fun to talk to and get to know.”
Anything you want to do, you can do at Northern, she adds. Krya has overseen the props for two theatre productions, acted in a play and provided technical support and acting for two student-produced short films. She’s fine tuned her sewing skills in the costume shop and engaged in historical costume research. She’s embarked on field trips and spent time observing in local public school classrooms. “Most importantly,” she says, “I’ve learned about myself as a person and an artist.”
Additionally, Kyra has been actively working to prevent food waste in America. Thanks in part to her efforts, Dublin Jerome High School, her alma mater, became the first public high school in the nation to install a Grind2Energy unit that turns food waste into usable energy. In recognition of her civic leadership, Krya became one of just 173 students in the U.S. and Mexico to be named as a 2022-23 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow, opening the door to a year of learning and networking opportunities. The fellowship also provides a pathway to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
Kyra is a difference maker–in the classroom, on stage, and in whatever activity she undertakes. After graduation, she may work as an interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg before beginning her teaching career. Either way, she’ll be teaching and bringing history to life. “The teachers in my life supported me in ways I never thought possible,” she says. “I want to do the same for others.”