This was previously published in the 2026 senior issue.
Beloved Emmaus Dance Team member and former Editor-in-Chief of The Stinger, Jessi Hahn, has happily danced her way through high school. Despite having no prior knowledge of journalism, Hahn found her place on The Stinger staff in various positions. Hahn has discovered her new home at West Chester University, and while not having a distinct idea of what she wants to major in, she believes that is just a part of her ongoing journey.
Stinger: Why did you want to join the dance team, and what is so special about it?
Hahn: Dancing was very special to me. I had been dancing at one studio since I was two, and then I realized I did not have room to grow. The Emmaus Dance Team is a very reputable program that I admired for years, so I was very inspired by all of those girls to join.
Stinger: What was one of your moments while being on The Stinger staff?
Hahn: One of my favorite memories on The Stinger staff is the night before my junior year Maestro [long, investigative piece of journalistic work] spread was due. I stayed up all night on the phone with Gabe Meyers, Carina Mccallum, and Ayaan Shah, that was our last time working on something together, and they’re really special people to me, they’re all role models…that I’ll never forget.
Stinger: What did you learn from being involved in both The Stinger and the dance team?
Hahn: I think both of these things taught me leadership qualities and a lot of time management, because with The Stinger, there was always constant deadlines, and for dance, there was always long practices. And so to balance the two is definitely tricky at first, but I definitely learned some skills that I couldn’t have gotten elsewhere, and I made a bunch of really close friends.
Stinger: What do you hope [to see] for the future of The Stinger?
Hahn: I hope that students keep reading The Stinger and that they understand that The Stinger is a place for them to exercise their First Amendment rights. Being an uncensored paper, we have a lot of freedom for students to use The Stinger as a platform to show their thoughts and their beliefs, and to inform their peers.
Stinger: What is one piece of advice you would give to underclassmen?
Hahn: It’s so easy to get caught up in all the assignments, studying, and drama, but if you dance your way through it, you can turn anything into something fun, something positive.
