If you’ve ever stepped foot into Edina High School, it’s hard not to sense the lasting impact of Hannah Owens Pierre. Her vast involvement in the school includes being Zephyrus’ very own Editor-in-Chief, Homecoming queen, drumline section leader, and state debate champion.

Hannah’s favorite work on Zephyrus was her in-depth piece on antisemitism in Edina. “I put the most time and effort into writing the piece because I thought the subject matter was very important, and I got to have conversations with people I never would have imagined,” she said. “I also saw the impact that my article had afterwards when people I had spoken to approached me and told them how much it meant to them to be represented in the paper. It made me feel like my work as a journalist mattered.” 

Outside of being dedicated at school, Hannah is a part-time history buff and trivia expert. Her most prized possession is gangster Al Capone’s gun, which was passed down through her great-grandfather’s family line. “One day Al Capone came into my great-grandpa Solomon Phillips’ tavern, threw him his gun, and said ‘Get rid of this,’ but [my great-grandpa] never did,” Hannah said. “I have that mafia boss side of me and it reminds me I am descended from greatness.” 

As far as fun facts, Hannah has enough to fill a Smithsonian. “My favorite president, James Garfield, took 11 weeks to die after being shot.” She even relates to his assassin, Charles Guiteau. “We are both evil geniuses,” she said. 

Now that her time at Edina is done, Hannah can address the pressing items on her bucket list. “My bucket list is to visit Rome so I can finally make use of being fluent in Latin by speaking to the Pope,” she said. “I also want to write a musical better than ‘Hamilton’ and cast myself in it like Lin-Manuel Miranda.” 

After three years of contribution to Zephyrus, Hannah is sure to miss her time in the pubs room. Hannah is undecided about future plans, but she will perhaps use President Ronald Reagan’s strategy of consulting astrology to make decisions during his presidency (another fun fact shared). We at Zephyrus know that wherever she ends up, she’ll do just fine.

This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 18, 2023.