Hello, my name is Hannah Durant and I am a junior majoring in Hospitality Management. This is my first semester at Penn State as I just transferred from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I am from the greatest city in the world, Pittsburgh, and am a big fan of all of our sports teams. The team that I hold nearest to my heart, the current Stanley Cup Champions, are the Pittsburgh Penguins. If for some ludicrous reason you are not already a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, here is an article that will help you become one in just ten easy steps!

You may think that there is some science behind hockey and you might be right, but I wouldn’t know because cool topics like that were never discussed in my past science classes. The hard truth is that science is and always has been one of the most boring subjects I have ever had to endure in years past. It was the same thing every year having to relearn regurgitated facts that were not even the slightest bit interesting. The only fact that I have managed to remember about science from all these years is that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Do I have any inkling of an idea of what that even means? No, but hey, at least I remembered that fact. Which is what science has always been about to me. Not great discovery, or attempting to shed some light on the mysteries of our world, but boring nonsense that I had to memorize until the tests were over, then to be permanently forgotten. Needless to say, the thought of becoming a science major has never occurred to me.

This isn’t to say that learning is boring by any means. I love to explore and learn new things and ideas, but only topics I find interesting. That is why I took this class. I want to learn and discuss topics that haven’t been regurgitated. In doing so, I believe this will help me in the hospitality industry in many ways. Not only how to be a well-rounded individual, but to also be able to have discussions with others about life’s questions and make connections through common interests in topics such as the ones we will discuss in class. With that being said, I am greatly looking forward to the discussions to come.