Hannah Hutchison ‘26 honors the past and rises to the future as McMurry Student Government traditions chair
In just three short semesters, sophomore Hannah Hutchison has established herself as a prominent leader within McMurry’s student community. Hannah’s contribution to our Centennial Homecoming not only elevated the standard for student engagement but also cultivated new traditions that added a distinctive and unforgettable touch to the Homecoming experience for students and alumni alike.
“My team and I were in charge of the student side of Homecoming. We planned the festival and our coronation for Mr. and Miss McMurry and class favorites, and helped the freshman class keep the bonfire going from Friday night through kickoff of the football game on Saturday. Programming was added early in the week for our student athletes who were not able to be here over Homecoming weekend because of sports activities. I also worked with Religious and Spiritual Life on the Final Ala Cumba remembrance ceremony. As traditions chair, I managed student participation while working with a lot of different departments.”
Hutchison carries a bit of family legacy with her through the halls of Radford and Old Main. Her great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and two uncles are McMurry alumni, and her father, Mike Hutchison, is our vice president for institutional advancement. Mike also graduated from McMurry in 1987 and returned in 2021 to lead the University’s advancement efforts. The timing lined up well for Hannah and her twin sister, Maggie ‘26, who were already deep into the college search.
From the start, Hutchison found her groove in the McMurry Student Government (MSG) and discovered many ways to get involved as president of the freshman class. The confidence MSG’s executive leadership had in her abilities inspired her to go even bigger, entering her sophomore year.
“When it was time to run for executive office positions, Hayden James ‘25, our current MSG president, said, ‘Hannah, you’re very organized, you should be traditions chair. It’s our Centennial Homecoming, and we want it to be great.’ So I ran for it, and was elected.”
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Hutchison admits that there were several moments during Homecoming that didn’t go exactly as she’d envisioned. But a little bit of luck – along with some good backup plans – helped smooth out some of the bumps in the road.
Hutchison appreciated the collaboration she saw between students, faculty, staff, and alumni to pull off the largest Homecoming in McMurry’s history. She also credited the strong participation of the broader Abilene community for stepping up and honoring the school’s 100th birthday.
“It’s amazing to see what such a small community can do and how large an impact it can have, not just on the students, faculty, and staff, but also out in the community through the service projects that we completed during Homecoming. It’s humbling to be a part of such an amazing campus.”