Hannah Hutchinson in the MassPIRG office.

Hannah Hutchinson, a senior majoring in community studies, does her fair share for the betterment of nature and society through her in-depth involvement in an organization called Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG).

MassPIRG is a student-directed and funded organization with fourteen statewide chapters that takes on important interests on behalf of the city. Some issues the organization has tackled this semester are passing the bottle bill, fundraising for the homeless community in Boston, and educating young students on the importance of energy conservation.

After transferring to UMB in the fall 2010 semester, Hutchinson embarked on a search to find “an organization where I could volunteer and truly make a difference in issues I care about and that affect us all.” MassPIRG seemed like a perfect avenue for Hutchinson to make an impact on UMB and the society. She said, “I got more involved and active after seeing the great results we were getting and how effective our outreach was, and how much impact I could have on campaigns and the community.” Hutchinson has been a part of MassPIRG for one year.

Currently, Hutchinson is the chapter chair for the MassPIRG at UMB and she also serves on the MassPIRG board of directors. Describing the details of her role, she said, “As chapter chair, I work on all the campaigns on campus and represent UMB at statewide events such as legislative initiatives and leadership trainings. This semester, I was the campaign coordinator for MassPIRG’s No Hunger, No Homelessness campaign to raise money and awareness for the Greater Boston Food Bank and food insecurity in the Boston area.”

Although saving the environment requires a lot of commitment and work, Hutchinson believes that one of the great things about MassPIRG is the flexibility that volunteers are allowed with their schedules so their studies are not adversely affected. Speaking about her affection for the organization she said, “I love working with MassPIRG, so I spend a lot of my time working on campaigns; however, it’s easy to maintain a balance with schoolwork because of how much I learn and the experience that I can apply to other aspects of my life.”

MassPIRG has presented Hutchinson with numerous great experiences but the experience she describes as being her best experience is coordinating this semester’s No Hunger, No Homelessness campaign, where she organized a food drive with the UMB Athletics Department, which raised over 200 canned goods for the Greater Boston Food Bank.

After graduating in the spring, Hutchinson plans to find work in the non-profit sector, either organizing on a college campus or working with children and the arts. She would also love to spend time writing and hopefully publish a book, travel the world, and bring about world peace.