Hometown: Wynnewood, PA     College: Middlebury College 

 Hannah Newman 

Hannah grew up in the suburbs outside Philadelphia where she developed a strong love of soccer. This spirit and love of the sport first took her out of the country in middle school, when she was asked to join a team traveling to Denmark and Sweden, and later in high school, when she played and did community service in a rural village. She came to believe that soccer retains the power to connect would-be strangers in seemingly impossible ways. 

Hannah knew leaving soccer in her hometown wasn’t an option, so she pursued the recruitment process to play at the collegiate level for Middlebury College. It was there that Hannah studied neuroscience while playing varsity soccer in the fall, skiing with friends in the winter, and doing club ultimate frisbee in the spring. The her soccer team made three NCAA appearances and Hannah earned NESCAC All-Academic honors every year she was eligible. After graduating from Middlebury in 2013, Hannah led a Putney Student Travel program to Costa Rica in the summer before heading to NYU’s Journalism School where she got her Master’s in Science Journalism. 

After three years of working in Manhattan, Hannah quit her job to pursue a career in outdoor experiential education, starting with a five-month solo trip to South America where she lived with a family in The Galapagos, worked on a farm in the Ecuadorian cloud forest, lived in the Sacred Valley for a month, and hiked to both Machu Picchu and its so-called sister, Choquequirao, while playing as much pick-up soccer as she could. The experience launched her into Spanish fluency and an Overseas Educator position for Carpe Diem Education where she spent two semesters leading students throughout Central America. 

Hannah undeniably gravitates toward la pelota, recognizing the power of soccer to break down barriers and be a language in and of itself. She is profoundly passionate about building cross-cultural connections through the beautiful game while positively transforming lives and empowering young adults to push their boundaries.