Fifth-grader finds motivation within family

Hannah Treadwell, fifth-grader and ASB representative at Otis Orchards Elementary, can stay under water for a long time. She is a certified scuba diver and has ventured 20 feet below the surface.

“When I’m diving, it feels like I’m sailing through the air,” she said, “It’s like being in a whole different world.”

To become certified is not easy. There is a difficult written test followed by hours of practice at the YMCA and then a final open water dive, which she did at Lake Pend Oreille.

Recently, she visited the San Juan Islands with her family and hoped to dive, but it was too cold. Instead, she climbed a lot of rocks, played in tidal pools and helped her parents with their diving gear. “The gear is heavy and complicated,” said her mother, Stephanie, “She is gaining a lot of experience just by helping us.”

Hannah has a wet suit but, to dive in extremely cold water, a dry suit is needed. It takes a different set of classes to be certified to wear a dry suit, which she plans on doing later.

Hannah’s interest in the sport came from watching her parents, who are avid divers. Frolicking on the surface wasn’t cutting it for her, so she chose to get certified, as did her older brother, Tanner.

Being around the water has also sparked her interest in marine life, which opens up a host of exciting careers; she may train dolphins or whales, or teach others how to dive. “Or maybe I’ll be a teacher,” she said, “I baby-sit a lot, and I love kids.” A more immediate goal for Hannah is to see an octopus up close.

Her other hobby is dancing, which she has been doing for eight years. “I’ve won eight trophies, but I don’t do it to compete. It’s just for fun.”

Hannah is motivated and gives credit to her parents and her brother, who inspire her and cheer her on. She also has strong female role models in her life including her two godmothers, Amber Gower and Lisa Ramm.

“It’s important to have good role models in a young girl’s life,” said Stephanie Treadwell. Hannah is well on her way to becoming a good role model herself.

Is there a Valley youngster in your life with an interesting hobby, unique achievement or is just an all-around neat kid?