Hannah Woodworth is a senior from Huntington Beach, California majoring in Journalism. She is the current president for USC’s student government (USG). Besides being the president of USG she is also a tour guide and a member of society 53. Additionally she is a former Daily Trojan writer, Annenberg Media writer, and was a student athletics tutor.
Hannah got involved in USG her freshman year when she worked on Alexis Areias and Max Gomez’s senate campaign. When Areias was elected president last year she asked Hannah to apply to be her aide. “It made me think about what the role looked like from a day-to-day level. It gave me an impression of whether I could do it or not and whether or not I could handle it. It made me realize the impact of student government.” One of Hannah’s greatest priorities as president is supporting marginalized groups. Hannah is only the fourth female student body President at USC, so her identity informs her agenda in the role. “A big thing that just happened is the overturning of Roe v. Wade and while we are in a state where the right to an aborition is protected we are aware a large amount of our community is from areas where it is not. We are trying to work with other student body presidents to see how we can help students at those universities and get statistics of how students are affected. That is broader. However, we want to better all USC students of the resources they have at USC, not just those who are women identifying.”
She describes her leadership as : “I would not consider myself the classic student body president. I am not an overwhelmingly assertive person, I am more a quiet leader. For example in our cabinet meetings I let people share their opinions. I listen. If I am going to add something to the conversation making sure it is intentional. I think about being a listener. I think leadership is listening. Not taking up too much air time that's how I define leadership. I also define leadership as service.” When asked about her legacy in student government she wants to make more people aware that USG has one of the largest budgets of any student government and about 500 members - “that means we have a very big impact. I want to maximize USG and build upon what I know USG can be.”
Some fun facts about Hannah is that she can recite the Parent Trap movie and her favorite place on campus is the Annenberg lobby. One way in which Hannah practices self care is she loves to workout, specifically run. Hannah’s advice to future Trojans is : “Do the work to find your community. When I came to USC I was very overwhelmed. I did not think it was for me. Everyone is lost freshman year so do not think that not everyone else is struggling. Go to the involvement fair, talk to people when you come late to your dorm and are brushing your teeth, go to that beach trip with your residence hall. People will tell you college is about your GPA or class, but what is most important is the people you meet in class. In 5 years you will not remember that biology midterm but rather a night with your friends where you saw a movie, came back, played games and laughed harder than you ever have. College is about finding your people.”
