Finding Greatness: Hannah Reavis

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Monday, March 22, 2021 12:00 AM
Categories: School of Computing | Pressroom | Students | Finding Greatness

Macon, GA

Math major and honors student Hannah Reavis is co-president of the Georgia Eta chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the National Honorary Mathematics Society. She is working with an MGA math professor doing research in the field of graph theory.

Full Name: Hannah Reavis.

Hometown and Residence: Macon.

High School: “I was homeschooled for my entire education until college and graduated through Hopewell Academy as an honors student with a 4.18 / 4 GPA.”

Family: Father, Daniel Reavis; mother, Mariana Reavis; brother, Timothy; sister-in-law, Meghan; fur-baby, Michelangelo.

Employment: “I’ve been working as a math tutor at the Mathematics Academic Resource Center for 2 years and it has been a job that I absolutely love. I’ve also been a graphic designer for a small online business for the past 3 years.”

Degree Objective: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in statistics and an Associate of Science in Financial Technology.

Class Rank: Senior.

Primary Campuses: Macon and Online.

Activities: Co-president of the Georgia Eta chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, National Honorary Mathematics Society; co-author of “The Math Atlas,” a Pi Mu Epsilon newsletter; member of the Honors Student Association; undergraduate researcher in the field of graph theory with Dr. Joshua Harrelson.

Career Goals: “I want to work in a career that involves statistical analysis. I’m not set on a specific career title. I’m open to many different fields, as long as they involve solving problems with numbers. However, I’m also very interested in forensics and criminal justice, so if I could find a crossover, that would be my dream job. I never understood probability and statistics until I took some classes on the topic here at MGA. I found out that it wasn’t as awful as I had previously thought and discovered that I really love it, thanks to some professors who are excited to share their passion for their field. It’s really cool being able to make sense of a lot of data and use it to predict things.”

She chose Middle Georgia State University because … “It was close to home so I could stay with my family and not have a long commute. This has been a great benefit for me. My brother had also previously attended and graduated from MGA, so I was already somewhat familiar with the University and this helped my decision.”

The greatest thing she discovered about Middle Georgia State was … "The people. I think this tends to be brought up often, and that’s because it is very apparent just how awesome the people are here. I believe MGA has one of the greatest groups of faculty and staff. Being able to talk with my professors and get to know them has opened up a lot of academic opportunities for me. Having a chat with your professor and getting direct help when you’re struggling is something that many people don’t get to experience. The staff here are so friendly and welcoming, and I know that I can always get help when I need it. MGA may be considered by some standards to be a smaller school, but to me, this one of the things that I love most about it. This lends a sense of community, teamwork, and warmth to the University.”

Her greatest academic experience as a Middle Georgia State student has been … “Maintaining a perfect GPA. I take zero credit for this, as I believe that without God helping me, I could do nothing. Everything that I have been able to do in my life has been because God has given me the ability to do it. Something else that has been pretty cool is getting the opportunity to conduct research with a professor. This has been a great experience for me, as it has given me a better understanding of academia. I’ve been able to present the research at conferences and we are working towards submitting our research paper to a journal. I’ve also really enjoyed being a member of Pi Mu Epsilon while creating puzzles and writing articles for the newsletter. Another great experience was being asked to participate in and winning the public speaking competition at MGA's 2019 undergraduate conference.”

To her, “greatness” means … “Understanding not only your strengths but also your weaknesses. You can’t reach your full potential until you know both your capabilities and your limitations. ‘Greatness’ doesn’t mean that you won’t have faults and fears, but that you can learn from your mistakes and accept opportunities that might scare you. The only regrets I have are the chances that I didn’t accept or waited too long to take. Staying in your comfort zone won’t get you very far. Another thing is being humble and able to admit that you don’t know everything. The older you get and the more you learn, the greater you realize just how little you really know.”

In five years … “I’m planning to work at Robins Air Force Base while potentially pursuing a graduate degree in statistics or a similar field. I’d also like to continue tutoring some people when I can because being able to help people understand math brings me great joy. No doubt life will throw some unexpected and unwelcome surprises at me, but as long as God is the Author of my story, I know everything will work out exactly as it should.”