My name is Hannah Figgins. I am an 18-year-old homeschooler living near Vilas, Baca County, Colorado with my parents and our dogs, cats, miniature horses, chickens, guinea fowl, a rabbit, and a turtle. I also have an older sister, Megan. My parents and I (and our animals) moved to Baca County from the El Moro area north of Trinidad in 2014. My dad drives a truck for FedEx Freight and my mom is an artist. I am a nine-year member of 4-H and the projects I have taken include Breeding Chicken, Market Chicken, Breeding Rabbit, Dog Obedience, Global Citizenship Unit 1, and SelfDetermined. I also serve as an assistant librarian for my church. I enjoy working with animals, spending time outdoors, exploring, history, playing fiddle, reading good books, and listening to good music and good stories. I have a strong interest in animals, history, storytelling, traditional stories and music (especially Celtic), and Gaelic culture. I have not yet decided what I want to pursue long-term for a living, but I want to incorporate at least some of these interests into whatever career I choose.
I was introduced to Ogallala Commons a few years ago by Mr. John Wittler, who invited me and my mom to tag along with an OC group to tour the local solar farm. We completed a commonwealth mapping activity afterward. It was an interesting experience, but I was still ignorant of exactly what OC was. Then last year, Abby Pettinger approached me about the prospect of an internship with the local museum and I decided to look into it. I completed a 100-hour internship with the Springfield Museum last year and I also took OC’s Workforce & Leadership Certificate Course.
This year I am doing another internship with the same museum, this time for 200 hours. While I am not interested in doing museum work as a life career, it has been a good experience and Ms. Val (my boss) has been wonderful to work with. I also believe that it is beneficial to gain some experience in a branch of work that is closely connected with one’s interests even if it is not the exact work one plans or hopes to be doing long-term.
