Jayla Hanson (W’27 C’27) is originally from Hoover, Alabama. At home she enjoys volunteering at her local soup kitchen, planting at her neighborhood garden and spending time with her family. In high school she began an American Sign Language Club. This sparked her desire to gain a better understanding about other communities that she is not a part of and learn about things that she can do to help create a feeling of belonging and acceptance.
At Penn Jayla is a student in the Huntsman Program of International Studies and Business with a concentration in French. She is excited to combine her interest in International business and affairs with Paideia’s 4 pillars of wellness, citizenship, service and dialogue. Jayla has a passion for economics and wants to use her knowledge and skills learned through the Paideia Program to recognize how although economic policies affect everyone’s day to day life, they affect different communities disproportionately than others. She hopes to create policies that make it more equitable on a macro and micro scale.
Jayla recently participated in STEP’s first cohort of Conversations That Matter where she engaged in difficult conversations about identity and community. This helped her to create a deeper awareness about issues across economic, social and community lines. Through Paideia Jayla hopes to continue these uncomfortable conversations that allow her to create a more global and diverse mindset. She will be able to use this throughout her career in international affairs and business to know where to better allocate resources to ensure that everyone has a more enriching life.