Meet Hannah Goldfarb, a Florida native and 2017 graduate of Salem Academy. After graduating from Salem Academy, Hannah spent time in Brazil where she lived for a year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student on a scholarship. In Brazil, she lived with host families and worked with EducationUSA, the State Department’s auxiliary which helps share American culture. After her time in Brazil, Hannah worked on campaigns ranging from city council to the U.S. Senate. She’s also obtained her real estate license and recently graduated from UNC Asheville Summa Cum Laude with a double major in international studies and political science and with triple minors in human rights studies, management, and Spanish. Today, she works as a campaign manager for a candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina.

How did you and your family decide that Salem Academy was right for you?

My family and I decided to look into the idea of a boarding school for my education and once I stepped on Salem’s campus I knew it was right for me. From sitting in Ms. Shellhamer’s lecture on Bartleby the Scrivener, which remains one of my favorite stories to this day, and seeing the play, The Mousetrap, at my campus visit, I was so excited by the opportunities to explore different interests. I think for the first time in a long time, my parents saw me excited about really positive things.

What’s one thing about Salem Academy that you would like everyone to know?

Salem is so much more than a school! I developed so many life skills from time management and balancing responsibilities to navigating social situations and communication. Salem also becomes your family. When I was there, I developed deep relationships with not just my peers, but also faculty and staff. I graduated in 2017, seven years ago, and I still regularly text some of my professors for everything from life updates and advice to silly memes and jokes. It also gave me my best friends, who I still talk to all the time. For that reason, Salem will always have such a special place in my heart.

How does the Academy’s STEAM focus prepare students for college and careers?

As someone who never loved the sciences, I appreciate that Salem allows you to explore it while also learning about the importance of the arts. Life truly requires you to be well balanced and competent in many areas and I think Salem’s approach really prepares you for that.

What’s your favorite memory of Salem Academy outside the classroom?

Model United Nations (UN) conferences, which literally changed the course of my life. It’s because of this that I developed a deep interest in the UN and international human rights institutions. This led to time in Argentina studying concentration centers from the Dirty War and time in Brazil to explore the dictatorship period. I also worked for an organization in Asheville that tracks human rights violations abroad by international companies and development institutions by following corporate money. I actually wrote my college senior thesis on national reconciliation, healing, and remembering after periods of severe human rights violations. Because of my experience with Model UN, I want to work in the world of diplomacy and international human rights and I think that’s well demonstrated by my experiences post-Salem.

How did Salem Academy prepare you for college?

Taking leadership roles! When I got to Salem, I struggled with public speaking presentations because of social anxiety. By my senior year, I made speeches in front of the whole school on multiple occasions and ran for House Council President and won. This was really a whole circle moment for me. I felt I had been well-trained and given the strategies, practice, and above all, the support I needed to feel comfortable in a vulnerable situation. In college, I continued to seek leadership roles in clubs and organizations and eventually got to serve as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Dignity Journal, an undergraduate human rights journal, and President of the College Democrats on my university campus. I also led a movement to get Election Day recognized as a holiday on campus. Most recently, I am serving as Chair of the Women’s Caucus for the Young Democrats of North Carolina.

What lies ahead for you in terms of our career and continuing education?

I plan to be active in North Carolina politics, as I have been since I was 18, given the current attacks on our schools and women’s bodily autonomy. There are so many issues at stake right in North Carolina that I feel necessary to fight for. I hope eventually to return to law school for dual degrees in law and international relations before seeking a career in international diplomacy and human rights. I’m particularly interested in periods of reconciliation and memory following widespread human rights abuses as well as women’s rights internationally. My region of interest is Latin America.

Any final thoughts on Salem Academy?

I have yet to encounter a place like Salem. Its deep history and traditions make for a unique experience that I haven’t found anywhere else. In your time there, you become one of the “insiders” in this amazing, long history of strong, educated women. I always loved seeing alumnae come back because it really shows the impact that Salem had on them. Now I am one of those alums. Salem completely changed my life.