Hannah Smith '25 wrote more than 5,000 words during a five-day writing intensive course in Scotland. But one memorable encounter left the prolific writer speechless.
Smith loves to write almost as much as she loves to read. She has a giant bookcase in her bedroom filled with more than one hundred books and novels that span nearly every genre. Her dream job is to work in publishing, but first, she wanted to sharpen her own voice. The quality time with Scottish Highland cows was just a bonus.
Smith comes from a long line of Siena Saints, but the legacy student wasn't convinced she wanted to follow her family's path. She really liked Siena, but as a high school senior, she was drawn to the University of Vermont as well.
"I basically decided I should just flip a coin."
If it was heads that turned up, she would have been better off with tails. Smith attended Vermont for one year, before transferring to where she belonged.
"I couldn't be happier than I am at Siena. All of the professors, and friends, and the support I feel on campus, it's nothing like what I felt before. Life is a million times better here."
It all worked out, but because of the year-long detour, Smith didn't want to sacrifice a full semester away from campus to live abroad. She reviewed her summer options with the Study Abroad office and discovered a week-long program in Scotland that was laser focused on her first love: writing.
Writing the City is a one-week creative writing workshop that pushes students to develop their own literary work. The class met twice a day for five days, but still had time to explore Glasgow and the countryside.
"You can't go to Scotland and not pet a Scottish Highland (above). We went to this massive park about 20 minutes outside the center of the city. There's this large fenced in area, and you can walk right up to the cows. It was a life-changing experience. Maybe I'll write about it once I find the words."
The class was revelatory as well. Smith wrote short stories and prose and received constructive, one-on-one feedback from the professors. In publishing, it's important to understand and appreciate literature through different lenses and from a variety of perspectives. Smith's perspective was easy to spot.
"They said that in reading my work, it's very clear that I'm a New Yorker. I have a strong voice, which is good, but the ability to observe and listen to the world around you is also a powerful tool. I kind of take that into account when I write now."
Smith was originally on the fence about studying abroad, especially traveling to Glasgow this summer as the only Saint. But the anxiety melted away quickly.
"I was full of nerves when I got there, but the second I walked into the classroom the fears went away. It was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Ignore the nerves and do it.
It's 100% worth it."
If nothing else, you'll want to see those cows.
