Megan Hammer: Senior. Performer. Role Model. Hammer is a Pitt bound Emmaus Senior. She plans to major in neuroscience and minor in music. Hammer aspires to go into the mental health field and work specifically with children in juvenile detention centers and the foster care system. If she could hold any job, no matter how out of the box it would be, she would want to work as John Mulaney’s personal assistant. 

Stinger: Why were you drawn to theatre?

Hammer: I was young, I might have been in like fourth grade. I saw “Newsies” on Broadway. After seeing the show, I realized that’s what I want to do. So then after that, my mom would take me to all the high school shows in the area. We would all watch the Freddy’s awards and give our commentary on it. And then yeah, I just fell in love with theatre.

Stinger: Of all high school events were you looking forward to the most and did it live up to your expectations?

Hammer: So, I have always wanted to perform at the Freddy awards. It was one of the only things I wanted to do in high school. Now they are basically cancelled. It’s okay, but you could say they didn’t live up to my expectations because they didn’t have it live and in-person. But like, I did get to go watch them my freshman and sophomore years. It was an insane experience. The energy is so high, like, everyone has to be on like, five cups of coffee.

Stinger: If you could have any Disney character as a roommate, who would it be and why?

Hammer: The first one that comes to mind is Rapunzel. She can definitely entertain herself, so I won’t have to “babysit” her. She’d also like to explore. So, especially coming out of the pandemic, I would like not stay in my dorm at all. So I think she would be a person who would want to check out the campus with me.

Stinger: What would you tell your freshman-year self one thing?

Hammer: I would tell myself that you have got to put yourself out there more. I think as a freshman I came in and I had a certain mindset where everything had an order. You just have to wait your turn and then like you’ll rotate in, but it’s not like that. You have to fight for yourself and just kind of go for it. When you do that is when you are going to really enjoy things and really get the experiences you want.

Stinger: What is a memory from EHS you will never forget?

Hammer: Sophomore year I was on a run crew for the school musical, “Les Misérables.” It was the most fun thing ever because it was so chaotic. I had to wear a beanie because my hair was too distracting. We also had to paint the giant barricade. So everyday, we’d have to climb up this giant structure. When I look back, I just think about how much fun the whole experience was.

Stinger: Is there anyone you would like to thank for their support? 

Hammer: The first person that comes to mind is my voice teacher, Ellie Escher. She is the reason I made it through high school and middle school. She always gave me confidence when I didn’t have any and just made me feel really supported. Her support made me feel really good about myself even when I wasn’t feeling it. I also have to thank Mrs. Labar. She’s my guidance counselor. Mrs. Labar was always there to help me with whatever scheduling issue I had. I feel like she always went above and beyond for me which I am very thankful for.