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Hannah Wilson | Community Enrichment Project
2023 Shooting Star Award Honoree
As a journalist, activist, and contributor to her community, Hannah Wilson uses her voice and boundless energy to uplift others, bring attention to social issues, and solve problems. Hannah serves as a Youth Ambassador and Investigative Journalist Intern for the Community Enrichment Project, hosts a podcast about the struggles of Black teenagers, and is launching a nonprofit to amplify the successes of Black women.
Because her school lacked opportunities for student journalism, Wilson sought other local and national opportunities. She writes or interns for TurnUp, the Social Institute, and InLight Magazine. Wilson previously participated in the New York Times Summer Writing Academy. She hopes to study journalism at Columbia University and eventually become a reporter for the New York Times.
“I’ve always been big on journalism and writing,” Wilson explained. “I find the most passion in writing about current events and ways people can get involved. Realizing there are so many problems and issues in my community and in the world, I think journalism is one of the best ways to get them across.”
In addition to writing, Wilson volunteers extensively in her community, including tutoring students at two neighborhood elementary schools. She runs track and plays volleyball and is a member of the Poms cheer squad. Wilson has played the trumpet since second grade, including for the DC Youth Orchestra for five years.
Wilson’s role model is her mom, who was raised in foster care and later earned her PhD and now works for Google. “Her story inspires me,” Wilson said. “She tells me how much work she put in to get where she is today. She’s my biggest motivator and person I look up to.”
As part of her work with the Community Enrichment Project, Wilson testified before the DC Council at a 2023 budget hearing about educational inequities in the District, urging councilmembers to invest more in schools in Wards 7 and 8. A Ward 7 resident herself, Wilson attends the Academy of the Holy Cross. As one of only a few Black students at the school, Wilson works to promote racial justice and advocate for equity there.
Wherever she is, Wilson is determined to create a better world for her peers and the world. “I want people to know I always have people’s best interests at heart whether I know them or not. I really want to see everyone win at the end of the day.”
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