February 22, 2018
Hannah Sullivan has been teaching science at MPA since 2004. She grew up in New Hampshire and attended high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. She went on to study Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. She is passionate about science education, the outdoors, and spending time with her own two young boys.
At MPA Talks, Hannah will discuss what it looks like when we create a career that gives us a sense of pride and purpose, how to discover opportunities to use our talents and pursue our passions, and how we can make space to engage our passions in our careers.
We interviewed Hannah so that you could get to know her better before hearing her speak at MPA Talks!
We ask our students to dream big and do right. Do you feel that call to action is important to the future of our society and if so, why?
I think there many different ways to approach dream big and do right. We need people who are making the world a better place on many different levels. We need local leaders, teachers, healthy role models. We need to support our friends and family. We also need national and global leaders. If we can inspire our students to think about how they can make an impact on the community around them, on any scale, then we are setting everyone up for a better future.
What do you wish you knew more about?
I’ve been exploring environmental sustainability for many years. More recently, I’ve become interested in the idea of simplicity and slowing down. I’m interested in ways that we can increase human connection and I’d love to learn more about community approaches to living, like co-housing. I’d also like to explore ideas from other cultures, like the Okinawan moai, which is a small group of lifelong friends, and incorporate them into our approach in the United States.
Who inspires you to be better and how?
Both my students and my own children inspire me to be better. I constantly reflect on the example I am setting for them in regard to work ethic, work-life balance, health, priorities, and meaning.
What do you believe will be the greatest challenge our current students will face in their lifetimes and how do you see MPA equipping them to face that challenge?
Climate and environmental change is one of the largest challenges our students will face. Loss of habitat, critical species loss, climate volatility, and rising sea levels will pose challenges to the stability of our society. Our students need to be well versed in both the science and policy of this issue in order to be heard and affect change. They also need to be ready to be leaders in developing innovative solution solutions to tackle these challenges.
What book are you currently reading? Would you recommend it?
I’m currently reading The Blue Zones of Happiness, Lessons from the World’s Happiest People. It profiles several groups of people around the world and presents very different approaches to happiness, while searching for common themes and presenting research on happiness from a wide range of sources. Its suggests several ways that we can incorporate these approaches to happiness into our own lives.
What is the most heartwarming thing you have ever seen?
This is an experience that I have quite frequently at MPA. I love it when I see siblings or twins bump into each other unexpectedly in the halls, and their faces just light up with a sense of familiarity and happiness at the sight of one another. It melts my heart every time.
Join us for the fourth annual MPA Talks on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, featuring Dr. White, faculty member Hannah Sullivan, and student Ling DeBellis! This event is designed to bring us together to gain new perspectives and be inspired. The reception and hors d’oeuvres will begin in the Gallery at 5 PM, followed by the featured speakers’ presentations from 6-7 PM. No RSVP is required and Middle and Upper School students are welcome! Panther Club/Den and dinner will be available for students through grade six as well. Reserve childcare and direct any questions you may have to mpatalks@moundsparkacademy.org.
