Third year Hannah Hall came to the University of Virginia knowing she wanted to be a journalist.
Hall was bitten by the bug after serving as managing editor and editor-in-chief at Louisa County High School’s Lion’s Roar paper. Now a double major in Media Studies and Foreign Affairs, Hall’s passion for the craft shines in her involvement with the Cav Daily. After serving as news editor, Hall was recently elected the paper’s newest focus editor.
“I loved being news editor,” Hall said. “There were a lot of opportunities to work on really cool stories.”
She highlighted the trial of Jesse Matthews, saying that she was in the courtroom when Matthews pled guilty and he was sentenced.
“It was tough, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a college student journalist,” Hall said.
The position also allowed her to attend the White House’s first College Reporters Day in April, in which she was able to meet U.Va. alums who worked throughout the White House and Obama administration.
In her new role as focus editor, Hall is looking forward to pursuing the in-depth investigative reporting that the position fosters. She assumed the position with story ideas already in mind, including a piece on the fact that the Hemmings family is not allowed to be buried in Monticello’s cemetery. According to Hall, the staff is extremely supportive and works together to brainstorm ideas.
In the upcoming years, Hall is also looking forward to the paper’s website being upgraded, as well as an expansion on the polling project that the Cav Daily began last semester. In this project, over 1,000 opinions were recorded on issues from the election to the Brandon Avenue housing project to potential university investments.
“I hope it becomes an annual thing,” Hall said. “That data is good not only for us, but also for the university’s administration.”
In addition to serving on the Cav Daily staff, Hall is an active member of the sorority Gamma Phi Beta, where she was recently elected Public Relations Vice President.
Hall said working for the paper had had a huge impact on how she viewed the university.
“I think I have a different appreciation of the university that not all students have,” Hall said. “The school has been through some tough times, but it always ensures that there are opportunities and excellent education for the students.”