The Charles Harbin Memorial Scholarship was proud to present this years award to Hannah Larson.

Hannah, a student at Roswell High who was on the soccer team Charles coached, was chosen because of the strong alignment with the ideals Charles followed in life. In addition to sharing a love of soccer, Hannah’s plan to in study environmental engineering and water pollution at Georgia Tech aligned with Charles’ passion for the environment.

Charles’ birthday was April 22, Earth Day, so perhaps it’s not surprising that he had a love for the earth, recycling, and a recently discovered interest in kayaking on the Chattahoochee river.

Charles also loved literature and poetry. Byron was the subject of his thesis — and Hannah’s essay “Answer to a Beautiful Poem” captured Charles’ commitment to living fully in a cautionary against treading the safe path in life as opposed to reaching for the bold.

Her second essay expressed how an inanimate object integral to her passions would describe her. We were moved by the wisdom of one so young describing her camera, and using it as a metaphor for viewing life, and then observing that what is focused on by the camera…or the person…and what is experienced… is a dance between the viewer choosing where to focus, the person’s experiences in life itself.

Charles enjoyed life and people… valuing authenticity and trying to help people who care. Hannah’s demonstrated commitment to making a difference in the lives of others and in building community with her efforts in the National Honors Society, as a tutor to her peers and counselor to younger kids.

For all of these reasons, in addition to her stellar academic performance, Hannah Larson became the 2013 recipient of the CJH3 scholarship award.

The scholarship was presented this year by educator and global posture expert Dr. Steven Weiniger, on behalf of the CJH3 Memorial Scholarship Committee.  Dr. Weiniger serves as Educational Director of CJH3 Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Photo Courtesy of Eric Schey Photography