Special Education major Hannah Majewski awarded Purdue Women’s Network Scholarship

Hannah Majewski has been teaching since she was in sixth grade. Standing in front of her classmates, she gave a PowerPoint presentation about Down syndrome as a way to teach them about her younger brother, Eli, and those like him. Now, the South Bend native is a Purdue senior majoring in special education in the College of Education. “Back then, I just wanted people to recognize what my brother was going through and know how cool he was,” Majewski says. “I became an advocate. I’ve spent my life wanting to give people who are not fortunate enough to have a voice the chance to be understood.”

Majewski recently was awarded the Purdue Women’s Network Scholarship. Endowed through the Purdue Women’s Network, this scholarship supports undergraduate women with a preference for students with no prior merit scholarships and who come from middle-income families. These students do not qualify for the 21st Century Scholars program and are less likely to have the means for a college education without incurring debt.

On top of her coursework and her practicum hours, Majewski also spent time during her undergraduate career working as a paraprofessional for Lafayette School Corporation. A paraprofessional is similar to a teacher’s aide, but as someone who is trained and credentialed, Majewski conducts one-on-ones with students and also helps with progress monitoring. In January 2022, Majewski started her student-teaching experience at a Native American reservation in Arizona. “I feel like I’ve only experienced the same environment, so I felt like I needed a culture shock in order to become a better teacher,” Majewski says. “I want to be uncomfortable; I want to learn to adapt.”

Read more about Hannah Majewski and her experiences as a special education student in the College of Education in the original Purdue for Life article: https://www.purdueforlife.org/surprise-scholarship-supports-students-teaching-dreams/