Hannah Moran ‘11 is a high school English teacher in Massachusetts who is quick to share the joys of teaching – the inspiration, the humor, the “ah-ha” moments when a line from Shakespeare resonates with one student or makes a literary connection to the newest Taylor Swift album. She’s also seen the other side of teaching, the one where would-be educators struggle financially and personally before even getting into a classroom.

Like any teacher who sees a student struggling, Hannah wanted to help.

In August, Hannah directed a $50,000 gift from the Subak Family Foundation to Guilford’s Education Studies Department, the latest of several annual gifts her family has made to Guilford. This latest gift will be used to cover the financial burden of licensure exams and other state licensure mandates, which can often cost upwards of $1,000 for students on the cusp of graduating. The gift will also serve as a scholarship for Education Studies majors who might be unable to pay bills incurred due to the commitments associated with student teaching, which generally includes 40+ hour work weeks for students.

Hannah says the idea behind the gift – funded by The Subak Family Foundation, established in her maternal grandparents  name – is to ease some of the financial and personal pressures graduating Education Studies students face as they get ready to enter a classroom.

“They’re working so hard to become teachers that they don’t need any more burdens or distractions,” says Hannah. “My hope is that this (gift) allows them to focus on becoming the best teachers they can be.”

The Subak Family Foundation’s gift to Guilford is similar to one made last year to the University of Maine. That gift proved so successful that Hannah and husband Steve Moran, a former Director of Student Leadership & Engagement at Guilford, were inspired to shift their generosity to support future educators studying at Guilford.

Hannah’s grandfather, John Subak, did not speak English when his family escaped the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia by immigrating to the U.S. John was only 11 years old. With help from others, he learned a new language, attended a private school, and enlisted in the Navy. He later graduated from Yale University with a law degree and was a successful attorney.

Hannah says she remembers her grandfather sharing that his educational opportunities were some of the greatest gifts he received. “When we   started figuring out what we wanted to do with our money, educational access and removing boundaries and obstacles to getting that education was super important to us.”

Earlier this year Hannah called David Hildreth, the Lincoln Financial Professor for Education Studies and department chair to discuss a gift from the foundation, which has already funded other initiatives at Guilford, including an emergency fund for students.

David taught many of Hannah’s secondary education classes at Guilford. After she graduated and began teaching at Western Guilford High School just down the road from the College, he invited her back to be a Teacher’s Assistant for his Student Teaching Seminar as her experiences and expertise as a practicing teacher strongly resonated with his Seminar students.

He says her generosity to the College isn’t surprising. “She’s always been very passionate about education and she constantly worked hard to academically engage her own students. To actively choose to put back into higher ed clearly speaks to her dedication to helping kids in education.”

Hannah’s excited about the foundation’s latest gift and encourages others to give when they can to the College. “Teaching is not glamorous, but it’s wildly important and rewarding,” she says. “If this can help make folks’ road to becoming educators a little easier, that would be amazing.”