Local student Anna Hammann was named one of BBB’s 2021 Students of Integrity (SOI) Scholars. The SOI scholarship is an ethics-based essay competition; recipients are chosen by an independent panel of judges for written submissions demonstrating an exceptional interaction with an ethical dilemma.

Anna Hammann is a Cincinnati native, born and raised. She is a proud graduate of Seton High School, an all-girls college-prep Price Hill school that Anna credits as one of the driving forces behind her success. “I’m so glad I went to Seton. I had a wonderful experience there—it was a great environment, with incredible staff,” Anna said, recalling administrators and teachers that would take time out of their busy schedules to help students succeed in their courses. “The people at Seton genuinely care about their students, inside and outside of the classroom. They prepared me for my future.”

Anna took advanced placement classes in Seton, and began to accumulate college credits before she even graduated high school. She is attending the University of Cincinnati this fall, and expects to graduate with a double major in accounting and finance. “I like the challenge of math,” she explained. “Even when it’s difficult, I enjoy the work. It’s satisfying when you get it right—it feels good to succeed at something when you have to work hard at it.”

A dedication to hard work is a family value. Her great grandfather’s work ethic helped him establish a successful bakery in Fairfield; the business has remained in the family, changing shape over the years. It became a butcher shop under her grandfather’s hand; when her uncle took it over, he expanded into catering. The business is still called Hammann’s Butcher Shop, and is a source of inspiration for Anna, her siblings and her cousins. “As I got older, I got to see how much it’s grown and expanded. It taught me how far a hardworking small business can go,” she said. “Local businesses do so much for our community. It’s important to support them.”

Anna has a devoted support system of her own: her close-knit family. “Everything my dad accomplished he worked hard for. He and my mom, who I’m really close to . . . they’ve taught me so many important lessons, and have been so supportive,” she said, going on to describe her older sister, a graduate student of physical therapy who has long inspired Anna with her determination; her older brother, a dedicated UC student who led the way for Anna as an accounting and finance major himself; and a younger sister coming up behind her at Seton. This local family draws on the strength of its own closeness for inspiration and support as each of its members push forward in honest effort and well-deserved achievement.

When asked about her experience with the SOI competition, Anna was enthusiastic about the value of ethics. “Everyone should learn the principles of ethics, so we have a better understanding of our responsibilities to the world around us,” she said. She described the huge impact an ethics-based curriculum had on her education—Seton offers business ethics as an elective to upperclassmen. “I think all schools should make ethics a required course of study. What I learned in my studies changed my outlook on everything.”

BBB congratulates Anna Hammann, and fellow SOI recipient Lexi born, on their success, and wishes them the best of luck in their future endeavors. To date, the SOI Scholarship program has awarded $84,500 in scholarships for post-secondary education to local students.