Random kindness is a good thing.

This concept is a founding principle of Ascension’s Acts of Random Kindness Club, a group that promotes good deeds and the people who do them. One important part of the club is nominating and choosing one student for the title of Student of the Month. After several nominations and a final club vote, the first student to be chosen for this title is Hannah Short, a junior who’s recently rejoined the Ascension family.

Hannah was born in New Orleans but moved to Lafayette at two years old, where she came to Ascension for nursery school through first grade. But, after six years in Baton Rouge and three years in Naples, Florida, Hannah and her twin Peyton are back at Ascension.

“It’s amazing how life comes full circle like that,” Hannah said.

Hannah is a member of several in-school and extra-curricular activities, including swimming, softball, and Speech and Debate. In fact, in her first year of being a member of Speech and Debate, Hannah was elected as secretary. But her activities don’t stop there. She regularly helps out in her community, as well.

“I worked all over Naples doing different community service activities. From delivering Christmas presents for underprivileged children to soup kitchens to collecting old clothes,” she revealed. “I’ve even had the wonderful experience of working with Habitat for Humanity and helping out during Special Olympics swim meets here in Lafayette.”

But her outreach in the community only matches her outlook on life.

“I try to see the best in everyone, not be judgmental, and keep an open mind to everything,” she said. It’s no doubt that Hannah is one of the happiest faces on campus, never leaving a room without a smile on her face. So, how does she do it?

“It helps to approach every day positively, because you’ll live life happier if you don’t dwell on the negative,” she advised. “Every criticism is a learning experience to help us grow and be who are.”