Sweat beading on her head, senior Hannah Levanon sprints ahead, the sweltering heat making this cross country race a particularly challenging one. Having run close to three miles already, now all that remains between her and the finish line is one final hill. Ten. Nine. Eight. Counting down the seconds, Hannah charges upwards, one last push to close out the day. As she crests the peak and completes the course, she looks back, seeing how far she’s come. 

Hannah started running with her mom during COVID-19, getting up at six every day for a morning jog. She found running a great way to get out after staying indoors due to lockdown. When Hannah joined cross country in her freshman year, she found that the transition from casual to competitive running was much harder than she expected, partly due to the increased distance the sport demanded. Initially struggling during her first few cross country practices, she realized that she needed to work harder and push herself to improve.

“It was an intense first year because going from being more self-motivated to having a lot of this external pressure was really jarring,” Hannah said. “It made me really hate it at first, and it took a while, easily until sophomore year, before I figured out how to become self-motivated with cross country. That was the trick to really enjoy it.”

Not only did Hannah dedicate her energy to improving, now as a senior, she never hesitates to help others on the team, especially newcomers. Knowing what it was like to be in their place, Hannah always motivates them when challenges arise.

Cross-country head coach Kevin Oliver recognizes Hannah’s growth since he started coaching her in her sophomore year. She came across as very enthusiastic, bringing energy to the team even on difficult days. 

“She’s developed more confidence both in herself, in terms of her overall growth in her sport as a person, and as a communicator,” Oliver said. “She really takes seriously the process of taking younger athletes under her wing and looking out for what’s the best way to help the team. She was always a team player, but she’s got even more of an emphasis on that now, making sure that everybody is doing what they’re supposed to be doing and has the best time that they can, not just herself.”

Having been on cross country since frosh year, Hannah has gained many memories to look back on and enjoy. She recalls fun times with her team, like preparing for the homecoming dance with friends while on the bus back from a cross country meet. Because of these experiences, she grew closer with many of the members on her team.

Cross country teammate and close friend junior Shreya Vemulapalli met Hannah in her freshman year. After growing closer to her through the cross country team, Shreya started to see Hannah as her “older sister”, someone she could always go to for advice. Shreya recognizes how much Hannah tries to encourage the people struggling during a race, dropping everything to help people.

“After we’re done racing, she would take me to go walk or run alongside the person who was last,” Shreya said. “No one else did this, but she would do it as many times as she could. Every meet we went to together, she did that. That speaks volumes to who she is as a person and her character, that she’s willing to go out of her way to help people and make them feel less alone.”

Since her sophomore year, Hannah has encouraged the people racing, knowing how much strength cross country requires, both mentally and physically.  She was determined to not only improve herself, but help others get through their races, running with them even after she already finished even if she didn’t know them.

“I pulled this girl uphill, and she was dead last,” Hannah said. “She was sobbing. It was 90 something degrees, and not a lick of shade in sight. I grabbed her hand, and I pulled her up the hill as she was running. I ran that whole last 2 miles with her, even though I’d already run my race. The looks I got from some people were very much like, ‘are you even allowed to do that?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t care.’”

Having met Hannah in freshman year, close friend senior Shreyas Chakravarty describes Hannah as curious and caring. Whenever she talked about helping others, especially kids, he would notice a gleam in her eye that shows her compassion and genuine kindness. 

“Hannah has a very real optimism about the world,” Shreyas said. “It’s an optimism in how she interacts with people and an optimism in how she views herself and her learning. And it really colors the way she reacts and acts.”

Along with cross country, Hannah also learned how to work in difficult situations through technical theater. After starting the Technical Theater Certificate Program in her sophomore year, she worked backstage in multiple shows, including numerous fall plays and even one spring musical the crew performed abroad. Although she enjoys her work, technical theater can be demanding, requiring precise actions and close following of directions. Regardless, Hannah enjoys being part of any show she works on.

“My favorite part of technical theater is the ability to make a lot of change,” Hannah said. “It’s really beautiful when you’re able to do something incredible without being seen and are able to create magic. “Because in tech theater, when it’s done best, a lot of people don’t notice the skill level. That’s really beautiful and really cool.”

Through both cross country and technical theater, Hannah has learned the valuable skill of how to face challenges. Although she’s faced many hardships along her journey, she’s learned how to navigate stressful and tiring situations to reach her goals. Cross country is considered one of the most mentally challenging sports there is, and gaining the ability to push through that has made the experience that much more valuable for Hannah.

“Thinking about myself and my own experiences has made me incredibly introspective,” Hannah said. “It’s changed how I perceive challenges. When everything in your brain is telling you to stop running or else you feel like you’re going to collapse, being able to power over that for a long amount of time has been incredibly valuable.”