Hannah Underwood is a seventeen-year-old senior in her fourth semester of journalism. Underwood is currently serving as the copy editor for the West Wind and excels in school academically and socially.
“I’ve enjoyed all of my time in the West Wind,” said Underwood. “The only thing I regret is not joining sooner, but the time I have had has been great, and I look forward to the bell ringing at 1:30 every afternoon so I can return to my safe space.”
Underwood was born and raised in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The majority of her life was spent living in Ocean Isle Beach and, more recently, living just 15 minutes down the road in Shallotte, North Carolina.
“I was born and raised in Brunswick County,” said Underwood.”A lot of people like to complain about living in a small town, but I wouldn’t be who I am without it. There aren’t many places I can walk around town without seeing a friendly face.
Underwood is not often found just laying around, as she is involved in many in-school and out-of-school activities, such as dance, tennis, Drama Club and National Honor Society, and is currently serving her third year as the class president of the 2025 graduating class. When not doing one of her various activities, Underwood can usually be found hanging out with her two best friends.
“[Her schedule] It’s a lot,” said Underwood. “Most of it I started simply as a resume boost, but I’ve come to enjoy the people and opportunities I’ve gotten through all of the activities.
With so much on her plate, Underwood has future plans of attending a four-year university, with the current intentions of majoring in journalism with a minor in public relations, after having found a love of journalistic writing with her time in the West Wind.
“Writing has always been something I’ve excelled in,” said Underwood. “But there isn’t a whole lot of secured opportunity in most writing fields. Realizing I could do what I love and make a decent living was a change that I didn’t expect, and I give all that credit to the West Wind, but more importantly Mrs. Saunders.”
