Hannah Martin has an informative writing major combined a biology minor, but her biology studies go above and beyond her minor requirements. This unique combination of studies was compiled one step at a time: she entered Geneva with a clean slate as an undeclared major and added the writing major, which she quickly combined with a biology minor to further her interests and awareness in the human aspect of science.

Hannah is passionate about science, but wants to see it applied. Lab work isn’t as fascinating to her as the human element that a career at a place of business will naturally provide. She intends to work in biomedical ethics at either a hospital or a pharmaceutical company, though she isn’t sure yet whether a law school degree or a specialized nursing certification will be her next step.

Geneva College encourages this focus on the human interaction that science assists: Hannah praises the science faculty in particular, saying that they “are very mindful of how science serves the kingdom,” and adding that the English faculty bring their own benefits: “They place a high emphasis on the responsibility of Christians to be articulate—to present information not just ethically, but winsomely.”

Among her favorite classes are Critical Approaches to Literature with Dr. David Kuhns and Rhetoric with Dr. Mark Haas. Dr. Daryl Sas is a favorite within her minor: his anatomy course proved to be an intense, comprehensive overview of the human body, and Biomedical Ethics, which discusses the relationship between science and elements like worldview, decisions, behavior and culture, helped to solidify her career decision. “This is what I want to do,” she says of the class.

As with many students who enter Geneva with undeclared majors, Hannah was exposed to a wide variety of classes early on, and settled on her area of study as a result. “God very clearly opened and shut doors to bring me here. It worked for me,” she states.

In addition to her workload, Hannah has worked as a humanities teaching assistant in the past, and has found time to co-star in a Film Fest 2012 entry. “I love all our staff, from the professors to the dinner ladies,” she says of Geneva College. Its intentional focus on the human element mirrors Hannah’s own passion: helping humanity on a human level, be it higher education or bioethics.

-Adam Rowe '14