You may know Hope Hartman through her various contributions to the art club, philosophy club or her involvement in stage crew. Hope has invested years of her life into the academic and extracurricular communities at EC.
When Hope was asked what the most important thing was that she learned, she responded, “Things like grades and popularity don't really matter. Yes, those things can seem huge within high school, but as soon as you step outside of that bubble, none of that is relevant. What's most important is just trying your best and being the best version of yourself that you can be.”
Things like grades and popularity don't really matter. Yes, those things can seem huge within high school, but as soon as you step outside of that bubble, none of that is relevant.
Hope’s favorite memory of EC was running philosophy club. “I founded it my sophomore year with the help of a junior, and it's crazy to see how much it's changed since then and how many different people have been involved over the years. It's been a really fun club, and I'm so grateful that my friends supported me and joined, even if they had no interest in philosophy. I remember the last day of philosophy club my junior year. We all sat around and talked about random things and the seniors' plans after graduation. Then my friend brought out a journal filled with all of the funny quotes we had said during the year in philosophy club. It was so much fun, and I'm so glad that it's been part of my high school experience.”
If Hope had to pick a favorite faculty member, she’d definitely say that “Mr. I has had the biggest impact on my life. The only reason I went into his office the first time was because I got rejected from NHS junior year, and looking back, that was a huge blessing. At the time, my father had left, and it was really hard to deal with. But luckily, Mr. I was there for me and supported me in everything I did because he knew how hard it was. His sometimes annoying but omnipresent optimism made school a much better place for me. He's listened to so many of my rants, and he's always been someone that I could turn to for advice when life felt overwhelming. He's helped me believe in my future, and I'm incredibly grateful for that.”
In terms of Hope’s growth in faith, she says, “My faith has grown to the point where I'm a lot more comfortable praying in front of people, and although I'm not a huge fan of traditional church, I love things like Bible class where we can have deep conversations about God.” Hope elaborates on how she’s changed since freshman year: “I was a huge mess for most of high school. I've had so many mental and physical health issues that are finally starting to get under control now. But I would say that the way I've changed most is in my mindset. Freshman year I was obsessive about my grades. My GPA was a 4.46 because I wouldn't let myself focus on anything else. I had such a toxic mentality about school and grades, and it got to the point where I felt worthless if my grades weren't perfect. It was incredibly unhealthy, and I can now say that I've gotten out of that. I still have the urge to tie my self worth to my grades, but I'm more self aware now, and I know what's healthy for me and what isn’t.”
In regards to her future, Hope states, “I’m probably going to be an art major. I chose that because making art feels natural to me in a way that nothing else does.” When asked how she wants to be remembered, Hope said that she doesn’t really care about being remembered. “The only thing I would want my legacy to be about is making the school better for later generations.”