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| Hannah Wilson |
By Hannah Wilson, Class of 2017
My grandfather is a carpenter by trade, lover of peppermint and Red Man chewing tobacco and noble competitor for title of my favorite person on planet earth. As his only grandchild (and granddaughter at that), I was taught at a very young age how to swing a hammer at a nail, ride a horse, hoe a garden properly – do all the things necessary to survive if Wal-Mart happened to go bankrupt. My convenient college life in Old Louisville, two minutes in any direction from a convenience store, often has me longing for less fluorescent lighting, the sense of accomplishment that comes from working outdoors, and more dirt on my hands.
Thanks to the McConnell Program’s service team, I was in luck.
This semester the team decided to add an old favorite to the list of ongoing service events: Habitat for Humanity. Until early March of this year, I had previously experienced Habitat only once, and that was during my summer as a Governor’s Scholar. I did not get to spend as much time on the build as a Scholar as I would’ve liked, but I did grasp the overwhelming sense of joy that comes from contributing to one of a family’s greatest unifying possessions: their home.
The builds last up to eight hours, starting early in the morning and working into the mid-afternoon. Sometimes it’s freezing cold when I arrive on sight. Sometimes, half-way through, my ankles want to break from standing sideways on the ladder to nail up piece after piece of Hardie board. Sometimes I smash my thumb with a hammer, and then watch it slowly turn black and blue. But all of this could never outweigh the smiles on the faces of the future owners when they get the keys to their new home.
Habitat for Humanity has become more than doing something for a family-in-need. It has become doing something for a Hannah-in-need. Builds are like a reset button for life, putting my minor life crises into perspective. When summer ensues and classes are over, I plan to continue my work on Saturdays with Habitat. I can think of no better activity to have involved myself in this semester. My grandfather would be proud.
Hannah Wilson, of Bradfordsville, Ky., is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is studying political science.