2: Hannah: Pushing Back, Moving On

The first time I meet Hannah, it’s a cold, but not too cold, January day, and she’s wearing a trendy fitted jacket and knit cap. With sparkling hazel eyes and pierced lips and nose, she is lovely. At nineteen, she’s spunky, insightful, and eloquent. She speaks with both expression and confidence, as she projects a strong sense of self, sharing with me the underlying significance of her first name and promptly correcting my mispronunciation of her last name. To my delight, Hannah is not the least bit deferential toward me. She owns and animates her power, co-constructing a conversation between equals. Throughout the first interview, two characteristics stand out: a fierce determination to exert control over her own life, and a quiet sadness about those contexts in which such control eludes her. She paints a portrait of tenacity and vulnerability.