Photo by Alexandra Siambekos, NCHS Class of 2019 & Recipient of the Hannah Paulsen Photography Legacy Scholarship
The Hannah Paulsen Photography Legacy Scholarship Fund, started in 2018 and administered by the Naperville Education Foundation, was created in honor of Hannah Paulsen, who was a multi-talented artist and graduate of Naperville Central High School.
“Hannah had a unique way of looking at something,” Rebecca Paulsen, Hannah’s mother, said. “We would take a picture of the same thing and she was able to draw out the emotion better in the photo. Even her art teacher in high school noticed it.”
After Hannah’s passing in 2017—following 2 and ½ years of battling a brain tumor—the Paulsen family knew they wanted to find a way to keep Hannah’s memory alive. R. Paulsen had the idea to start a scholarship.
“I just needed something to continue her beauty in the world,” R. Paulsen said. “It just made sense to support the high school where she took Mr. Hodge’s photography class and fell in love with photography.”
Carl Paulsen, Hannah’s father, contacted Hannah’s art teachers at Naperville Central, who told him to contact NEF to establish the scholarship.
“We thought that maybe other people could benefit from the way that Hannah saw things and translate that to some meaning in their life,” C. Paulsen said.
The scholarship grants two awards each year to graduating senior students at Naperville Central in the amount of $2,222—a significant number in Hannah’s life. Hannah was born on August 22 at 12:22 and passed away when she was 22 years old. The scholarship has provided over $22,000 to Naperville Central graduates over the years.
Alexandra Siambekos, documentary filmmaker and Naperville Central graduate, received the scholarship in 2019 in recognition of her film photography. Her film photography projects in high school paved the way for her career.
“The most memorable project for me in photography was the portraits project,” Siambekos said. “I was in Arizona with my grandparents and I just decided to follow them around their daily routines as they were working in the garage and doing laundry. It was the first time I realized the power in capturing someone’s essence in a still image.”
Receiving the award and knowing the financial support it would give her in the years ahead was emotional for Siambekos.
“There were a lot of grateful tears,” Siambekos said. “The scholarship helped me pursue my creative passions and see what was possible in my journey at Syracuse University.”
At Syracuse, Siambekos majored in Television, Radio and Film and minored in Anthropology, allowing her to develop her technical and creative skills with a human-oriented lens.
Siambekos’s time at Syracuse culminated with her honors thesis film, The Keepers of Manari. She travelled to Greece to document her grandfather’s ancestral village and independently shot, directed, produced and edited the film.
Her work won the Orlin Prize for Outstanding Thesis of 2023 among 150 submissions in the honors program at Syracuse University. She is currently applying for grants to expand the film and continue her storytelling.
“From holding a film camera for the first time in high school to receiving the scholarship to now producing my longest documentary with the highest production value, seeing that growth is so fulfilling and overwhelming,” Siambekos said.
Adam Lifka, a student at College of DuPage and Naperville Central High School graduate, recieved the scholarship in 2022, after discovering a love for traditional film photography.
“In high school I took art classes for three years and photography really stood out to me because my mom and my grandfather were really into traditional black and white photography,” Lifka said. “When I found out that Central offered those classes, I wanted in and I fell in love.”
With encouragement from his art teacher, Amy Murphy, Lifka submitted his portfolio for consideration for the scholarship.
“I have to give Mrs. Murphy the credit for encouraging me to apply for the Hannah Paulsen Photography Legacy Scholarship,” Lifka said. “I felt an incredible connection with Hannah’s story and how involved she was with Naperville Central’s art program and specifically photography.”
Coming from a family that values hard work, being awarded the scholarship was more than just a recognition of Lifka’s artistic achievements.
“Financially, I’ve been working summers and throughout the year for as long as I can remember, saving up for my college education,” Lifka said. “To be awarded that scholarship and to know that was that much less financial debt I would have to take on, I’m incredibly grateful and honored.
In 2021, the Paulsen family became directly involved in the selection process for scholarship recipients.
“It brought us a little bit closer as a family,” C. Paulsen said. “But it also allowed us to have a better view of when we look at something, we look at it through the eyes of Hannah and that’s hard for other people to do.”
Being involved in the scholarship recipient selection process each year has helped the Paulsen family to preserve Hannah’s memory.
“As time goes on, when you lose somebody, sometimes it gets a little easier, but you don’t want the memories to fade,” C Paulsen said. “So this is just one aspect to be able to bring us back to what Hannah was like.”
