Hannah Szlyk
Hannah Szlyk

Hannah Szlyk, a PhD student in social work at The University of Texas at Austin, is one of 100 doctoral students in the United States and Canada selected to receive a $15,000 Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood.

Szlyk completed her Bachelors of Arts in International Studies and Foreign Languages, Spanish and Russian, at Kenyon College in 2009. She then pursued a Masters of Science in Social Work at Columbia University, where she specialized in clinical social work, mental health, and trauma-focused interventions. Upon graduation in 2011, she started a 2-year fellowship in psychodynamic and clinical social work at The Menninger Clinic in Houston, Texas. While in Houston, Szlyk  worked as a licensed clinical social worker, specializing in therapeutic interventions for emerging adults.

The P.E.O. Scholar Awards (PSA) were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. Awards recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded January 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with nearly a quarter of a million active members.