CLARKSVILLE, TN – When Hannah Richards first declared chemistry as her major at Austin Peay State University, she was “100% confident” she would change it.
“I put down chemistry because I wasn’t going to put down what everyone else put down,” Richards said. “‘Women don’t do chemistry. People from Sumner County don’t often do chemistry.’ I didn’t know what else to put. I figured I was going to change it anyway and then … I realized I love chemistry.”
That decision to be different has led Richards to become Vanderbilt University’s first-ever Schmidt Science Fellow — one of the world’s most prestigious post-doctoral fellowships funded by the Schmidt Fellowship Foundation.
The competitive fellowship supports about 30 global recipients each year and will fund Richards’ research into fungal infections affecting leatherback sea turtle populations. She will work at Florida Atlantic University’s Marine Science Laboratory starting in July, bridging her analytical chemistry expertise with marine conservation.
Building the Foundation at Austin Peay
Richards’ path to success wasn’t traditional. As a first-generation college student, she had no roadmap for higher education.
“I did not know what a doctoral degree was when I entered Austin Peay,” she said. “I didn’t think about the possibility until instructors in the chemistry department said I should think about going to grad school.”
Her study methods were unconventional. While classmates took notes on paper, Richards wrote everything on thousands of index cards, allowing her to study constantly.
“I would walk around with these huge stacks of index cards,” she said. “So I was constantly absorbing everything I learned in class.”
The approach paid off spectacularly. In organic chemistry, she earned a 103 on an exam that her professor said looked “like it was written out of a textbook” — though Richards emphasizes her chemistry prowess didn’t come naturally, and she received her share of 75s on Physical Chemistry II exams.
Despite excelling academically, Richards faced challenges beyond the classroom. People often underestimated her, sometimes focusing on her appearance rather than her capabilities.
“People would think I was a fashion and design major,” she said. “Some scholars have looked at me and said, ‘There’s no way.’ That pushes me even more because I have that ‘let’s defy the odds’ mentality.”
Austin Peay’s impact on Richards extended beyond academics, and she said the faculty members prioritize their students’ well-being.
“My professors told me, ‘If you want to be successful in the future, you have to get a grasp on your mental and physical health first,'” Richards said. “They value their students on a personal level. I wouldn’t be here without Austin Peay.”
With support from APSU’s Boyd Health Services and understanding professors, Richards focused on herself as well as her studies. She pursued chemistry with enthusiasm, spending her junior and senior years immersed in lab work. She earned the American Chemical Society-certified degree, requiring additional research and physics — a pathway she likened to “honors chemistry” designed for students heading to graduate school.