Are you a leader or a follower? That’s a question that takes some people years to decide. Whether you want to lead the change or just be a part of it, for senior Hannah Mallitz, it has always been clear where she stands. As a member of multiple clubs and being the Junior Varsity girls soccer captain for 2 years, Mallitz has now taken on the role of President of the Special Olympics club.

Mallitz always knew she wanted to be hands-on, making a change in a leadership position. She is also a member of multiple other clubs including the National Honors Society, Key Club, Chem Club, Link Crew, and Mini Thon Group. She has been in the Special Olympics Club both her sophomore and junior year, now taking the role of President of the club her senior year. 

“Well, right now I am the president. Pretty much I’m kind of running it,” Mallitz said. She then explained, “They needed someone to step up, so I decided to do that.”

The club is advised by Mrs. Susan Ahart but mostly run by students. The events they host are to give the kids opportunities to be a part of something and just have fun, which is exactly why Mallitz joined.

“I think it’s such a great time to see the smile on the kid’s faces and it makes them feel involved and it makes them feel like they belong. Anything I can do to help them and I just love hanging out with them,” Mallitz explained.

Not only did she get involved with North Penns Special Olympics Program her sophomore year, but she has also been involved with the Special Olympics Organization since 6th grade. Mallitz’s travel soccer coach runs many Special Olympics events which encouraged her to get involved. Her journey started when she would go out to a field and play some soccer with participants in the program, ages ranging all the way from 6 to their late 20s.

“We would just play soccer with all the people, all different ages and it would be their escape to just try something different. You’d help them learn new skills and it was just great,” Mallitz said.

On top of leading a club, playing two varsity sports, and taking on the workload of advanced classes, Mallitz manages to keep straight As and a 4.0 GPA. With her ranking being 64 out of 1,004 seniors, she uses soccer as a way to take a break from it all.

“Soccer has brought me my closest friends and I just don’t know where I would be without it. It’s just like a mental break,” Mallitz stated. 

Although carrying all this weight on her shoulders, her positive and grateful attitude makes it just a little bit easier to get through her day ready to take on the next.

“I think that I do get a little angry sometimes as everybody does, but I think for me it’s just easier to see the good and just always have a smile on your face,” Mallitz said.

Being a teenager with this much on your plate can take a toll on your mental and physical health, but Mallitz continues to walk around with her head held high.