This week’s Woman of the Week is Hannah Monack ’23, nominated by Dante Sasso Jr. ’23!

Monack’s nomination is as follows: “Hannah is a great friend not only to me but to everyone around her. She works hard and always steps up to the plate, whether it be taking over Fencing Club or going out of her way to help people in need. She’s truly inspiring and she deserves a nomination.”

Monack states that her greatest accomplishment is “[her] work with Joan Nicole Prince Home right down the road from Union in Scotia NY.” Monack explains: “Joanne Nicole Prince Home is a care home for the terminally ill. I volunteer many weekends to care for the patients and provide a kind environment for them to spend their last weeks in. It is really important to me that every person feels like they have a place in the world and deserve to be cared for and treated with respect. Unfortunately, I often see the elderly or the terminally ill mistreated because some believe that since their time is shorter, they don’t need to be treated well. Joan Nicole Prince Home is one place that always puts the highest of care into making everyone comfortable, happy, and loved especially in their final moments. I am so proud of the work I have been able to do with them and I can not wait to continue to work with them in the future.”

Monack is passionate about “reproductive rights and health.” She continues: “I think that our healthcare system in America is abhorrent in many regards but especially in reproductive care. So much research has not been done for birth control options, reproductive endocrinology, and cancer prevention within the fields of obstetrics, gynecology, and urology. I think it is ridiculous that surrogacy is still illegal in many parts of the country (including the state of NY) and that there are no birth control options for men available on the market. Every day I see stories about young women being denied having their fallopian tubes tied because “they might regret it later or because they need their partner’s permission” while men are allowed to receive vasectomies without issue. These issues affect everyone and need to be resolved. I hope to work as an OBGYN in my future and as an activist for equality and innovation in the field of reproductive health.”

Monack states that she looks up to “Elizabeth Blackwell. She was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council. Despite it having never been done, she was able to persevere and accomplish her goal of becoming a doctor.” Monack explains that “One thing that I really respect about her is that she pursued medicine and it was what she was passionate about. Elizabeth Blackwell was a woman who carried herself with poise even when being belittled by her coworkers and colleagues and never let what other people said about her change the path she set out for. Her sass and diligence are things I can only aspire to.”

To Monack, being a woman at Union College is an extreme privilege. “I feel very privileged to be where I am. I know that in the past, I would not have been able to answer this question the way I do today. My experience at Union has been largely unaffected by my gender identity. I am so proud of this. I know that in other places in the world and in other periods of time, not too long ago, my entire existence would be defined by my womanhood. I would be denied opportunities or judged for the positions I sought out for myself. I have never felt that this was the case here at Union. It is a testament to how the school has grown to say that I do not feel cast out by my womanhood and instead feel just as any student might; stressed, tired, but happy to be here.”