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Hannah Ruch
Education (Undergraduate) 2026
After graduating from Abington High School in 2018, Hannah Ruch tried living away for her first semester of college to study education but decided she was not mentally ready to take that step. Realizing this, she took some time for herself and attended esthetician school. While she did love the program, she ultimately chose to return to college to study nursing.
Prior to attending GMercyU, Hannah completed her general education courses at Bucks County Community College. When she got here, she bonded with her classmates almost immediately.
“One of my really good friends was in all of my classes, so we were doing work together and then I made some really great girlfriends too. So, I thought, ‘This is going to be amazing,’” shared Hannah.
Hannah struggled in some of her classes. She remembers standing outside of a classroom waiting to take a test and having a big wake up moment.
“I had a glass water bottle and I dropped it. I didn’t know it was leaving my hand and it shattered everywhere and it kind of woke me up. My mind and body were not in sync,” Hannah said.
It was in that moment that Hannah realized that nursing was not the correct path for her to pursue, and that perhaps education was what she was meant to do.
Experience in Education
Since switching her major to education, Hannah has had an incredible time on her educational journey.
I changed to education and it was literally a complete flip and I was in love. This was the best thing I’ve ever done. My anxiety with school has completely subsided and I love it.
Hannah has particularly loved her experiences with Dr. Cheryl Malfi and Professor Stephanie Alderfer.
“Dr. Malfi has honestly been an amazing mentor,” Hannah said. “She has shown me so much and she’s so patient with everyone and she shows individual support.”
Professor Alderfer taught Hannah’s Education 101 class and offer students the unique opportunity to hear from educators from all walks of life. One shared his experience as a teacher in Philadelphia, Pa. and one shared the differences between the Pennsylvania and South Carolina school systems. The experience showed Hannah that she doesn’t have to be a teacher in a traditional classroom.
“Professor Alderfer is so easy to talk to. She hears me, she listens to us, and I can just go to her and rant. It’s the same thing with Dr. Malfi. I could just go to her and she can hear me and listen and I think that’s so important. I’ve connected with them in that type of way and I’m so lucky I’ve gotten to meet them,” Hannah shared.
Teacher Apprentice Program (TAP)
Hannah is currently in her third semester in the Teacher Apprentice Program (TAP). She completed her first two semesters in second and third grade classrooms at Highland Elementary School within the Abington School District.
“The principal was actually my principal, so that was super fun and super cool and his mom is an adjunct in one of GMercyU’s graduate programs,” Hannah said.
Her first semester was spent in third grade and the experience really allowed her to dip her toes into the world of education. She said the kids are “so cool” and that “they look up to you.” As a babysitter for many years, Hannah was familiar with the maturity level of the students due to their ages. Even so, she expressed that the classroom was so much fun to be a part of.
Hannah’s second semester was spent in a second-grade classroom at the same school. She recalls seeing the students in the hallway trying to act cool but silly at the same time.
I think that age is so transformative. They can be a totally different student from first to second grade, so it’s so cool to watch them grow up. I love it.
She recalled one student in her classroom who she described as a “tough cookie” because he would always get distracted. He was one of those kids whose attention needed to be redirected, but Hannah loved that about him.
“He was one of my favorite students. He was always coming up and giving me a hug and thanking me for being in the class with him. It’s always the tough cookies that I’ve kind of clicked with,” she shared.
Hannah also remembered a student who received what was called a “Celebrity Ticket” for doing something good. She received the ticket for helping a nonverbal classmate and for playing with him. Hannah told her to always continue helping and playing with him, no matter what.
The little girl said, “I helped him and I was playing with him and he used his talker to play with me.” Hannah responded saying, “Continue to do that because you would be sad if no one invited you into their group or didn’t play with you or didn’t talk to you.”
Observing at CHOP
For her third semester of TAP, Hannah is observing at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The idea came to her after attending GMercyU’s Autism Conference in April 2024 where she met her now-manager Stephanie, who gave a presentation on teachers at CHOP. She remembered sitting there thinking, “that’s what I want to do, but I don’t know how to go about it.”
Inspired to learn more, Hannah met with Dr. Malfi to discuss the possibility. Dr. Malfi immediately went to work to try to make it happen.
In mid-July, Dr. Malfi heard back from the representative at CHOP with the official go-ahead to move forward. Fast forward to mid-September, Hannah began her TAP journey at CHOP.
Immediately I got there, I’ve never felt so welcomed in my life. I told Dr. Malfi that they all knew my name and how they said, ‘Hannah, we’re so excited to have you,'
Hannah is currently shadowing six teachers, all of whom are close in age to her, making it easy to relate to and have conversations with. In the few short weeks since she started, Hannah has capitalized on her learning and grown as a person.
“I’ve learned so much, and you feel so grateful for what you have grown up with if you haven’t been in the hospital,” Hannah shared. “I saw these two little girls who have cancer, and they’re so happy to be alive and to be learning, and you get to see what’s important versus what’s not important.”
Hannah observes teachers in a one-on-one environment where parents and/or guardians as well as nurses and doctors are floating around. She’s gotten to see first-hand how the one-on-one environment makes the students more comfortable and allows for more bonding.
“None of the kids so far have been upset or in pain. They’re just like, ‘Let’s read a story. Let’s do our math,’” said Hannah.
On her first day, Hannah debriefed with Stephanie on the effects and realities of being a teacher at CHOP. Stephanie shared that the teachers deal with not only the loss of a patient, but also the grief the parents feel if their child was in an accident or has a chronic illness.
“I haven’t talked to the teachers one-on-one with what they deal with, but I know that they have lost patients before. So, I think it’s just the reality of the job and the environment you’re in,” Hannah said.
In her short time at CHOP, she’s come to learn that showing emotion is okay within the teaching profession. It’s okay to talk about anxiety and mental health, especially with the growing need for support.
Just asking how students are feeling that day is important. I think at the hospital it’s even more important because they’re going through such a tough time mentally and physically.
Hannah is excited to see what the rest of the semester brings for her TAP experience. So far, she is loving every minute of it and feels as though she’s found her calling.
“It’s just great to see what other teacher scan do outside of the classroom because teachers are so important,” Hannah said.
Why Education?
Hannah is pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. When asked why she chose to pursue special education, Hannah thought of her lifelong friend Dante who has a disability.
“I have a friend named Dante. I went to elementary, middle, and high school with him and he still calls me to this day once a month just to check in on me. He’s the sweetest man in the entire world and I thought, ‘I think it could be so cool to work with kids like him’,” Hannah said. “I wish everyone was a positive human like Dante who sees that life is short and only does what he loves and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.”
She remembered Dante being bullied in high school, but not having a care in the world because he just wanted to do what he likes.
“He’s just shown me that life is short so do what you love,” Hannah said.
Post-Graduation Plans
Hannah is set to graduate in 2026. She will start pre-student-teaching in spring 2025 in a traditional classroom setting to prepare her for next fall.
While she’s keeping her options open and exploring different avenues, Hannah is leaning towards pursuing a career as a teacher at CHOP.
“To teach the little ones in the hospital that again, are less fortunate than a regular student right now, would be so fulfilling,” Hannah said.
Hannah also has aspirations of obtaining her doctorate someday.