Hannah Lathen has taken her passion for journalism and activism into her community.
Lathen, who graduated in May of this year, works at El Voto Es Latino, a non-profit group that encourages political participation among Latinx communities in North Texas.
“The coolest experience I had with El Voto was getting to interview Beto O’Rourke when he ran for Senate, Lathen said. “Getting that interview was the hard but it was all worth it.”
In her time at Wesleyan, Lathen was a Content Producer for the Rambler from 2017 until her graduation in 2019, she credits her decision to attend Wesleyan to Eddye Gallagher, her mentor at TCC.
“She helped me with scholarships and getting started in the mass communication department, Lathen said. “She always believed in me and always cheered me on through the two years I was there.”
Lathen says that her first choice was not journalism, but her desire to be in front of the camera coupled with knack for storytelling, started the natural progression.
“I was in a broadcast journalism class in high school,” Lathen said. “I really liked being on camera, I never wanted to write news, but I quickly fell in love with the job.”
Lathen’s college career culminated with recognition as a finalist for the Ernie Pyle Reporter of the Year award, which Lathen earned through her work with the Rambler.
“Finding out about being a finalist for the Ernie Pyle Reporter of the Year award was exciting,” Lathen said. “That award made me feel connected to the campus and the work I did while at Wesleyan.”
Lathen is positive about her future, although she does not have a clear-cut vision for it.“I love writing and I love fighting for social issues. I would like to be able to combine those things into a career, Lathen said. “As long as I’m helping society move forward, I’ll be good.”
Thomas T. Moore 