Hannah Drexler

Work Highlight: 

Publishing "The Consequences for Homeowners and Communities of Erie County’s 18% Interest Rate on Delinquent Property Taxes".

Summer Takeaway: 

The most important thing I've learned through the High Road is the importance of engaging with and listening to the community I'm working for and actively incorporating their feedback into every decision and step I make with my projects. When someone is working in the realm of community-based development, they need to remember that the community comes before the development and that people matter most. I'd like to continue learning about how to build coalitions and lean into / engage with disagreement. I think handling difference is an important life skill and is one I'm constantly seeking to improve.

Future Career:

I want to go to law school, and do policy work with a legal perspective or work in public interest law in the field of education or civil rights legislation.

Favorite Memory: 

My highlight of the summer was meeting with Kate every day or couple of days to discuss the progress on my project and get her feedback. She is such a wealth of knowledge and it was awesome to learn and hear from her. More than a few times, my perspective on my project shifted, or I gained a new idea to look into, or we thought of a new person to speak to. These moments were awesome and brought my work to new levels. One favorite memory was meeting with Alex, Sarah, and Gabby from Senator Ryan's office. It was a new and more than meaningful experience to sit in a room with three women doing the type of work I'm aiming to do in the future. They were all encouraging and thoughtful both about the work I'm doing this summer and my future plans, which meant a lot to me.