Student Spotlight: Dr. Brittany Hamann '18, '24

“If you wait for the perfect time to start something big, you’ll never start,” says Dr. Brittany Hamann, a graduate of USF’s M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Ed.D. in Leadership programs. 
She should know. Dr. Hamann’s daughter Hannah was born while she was pursuing her doctorate degree.

“I was terrified that a newborn could derail my progress, but my professors wholeheartedly supported me and allowed me to bring her to class. It was an incredibly positive and enriching experience,” she says.

Dr. Hamann teaches science at Roosevelt High School, serves as student council advisor and leads the biology collaboration team. She applies her advanced degrees to every realm of her life, whether she’s guiding students, working with adults or parenting her children.

“Although I hold a doctorate, I don’t plan to seek an administrative role,” she says. “My goal is to help students become leaders. Eventually I hope to teach and advise college students, but for now I love what I do here,” she says.

A lifelong learner, Hamann chose to earn her master’s degree from USF because it was close to home and carried an impressive reputation. She also formed an immediate bond with Dr. Becky Thurman, director of graduate studies.

“Dr. Thurman encouraged me to pursue a doctorate, so when USF launched the Ed.D. in Leadership program in 2021, I joined the first cohort and Dr. Thurman became my committee chair. She was a huge contributor to my positive experience,” she says.

As a graduate of USF’s first doctoral cohort, Hamann attests to the program’s life-changing experiences. The research and findings from her dissertation topic "Student Social-Emotional Well-Being from the High School Educator's Perspective” continue to make a positive impact on her career, and so do the people she met while in the program.

“The relationships I built within my cohort were invaluable,” she says. “It wasn’t easy, and I’m humbled by how much I still need to learn, but so much of my success in the program came from my grit and perseverance to overcome obstacles. I would do it all over again.”