Interview with Hannah Staskelunas
Date7 March 2025
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 49 Minutes, 27 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Description(a) Audio file of interview with Hannah Staskelunas. She was interviewed by Michaela Mantie on 7 March 2025 in Hartford, CT. (b) Photograph of Hannah Staskelunas taken at her interview.
Hannah Staskelunas was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in his life.
The redefining change for Hannah was coming to accept herself as a person. Growing up, she was bullied/harassed for being different by the way she dressed, which was considered “weird.” The bullying got severe enough that Hannah was forced to move to a different school. She was in 7th-8th grade at this point. While the new school was better, Hannah was still traumatized from her previous school experience, so she purposely kept her true self hidden from the general crowd.
High school was relatively the same for Hannah, she finally found a crowd that liked her, but that was due to Hannah concealing a large chunk of her character. It wasn’t really until post-graduation that Hannah came to the realization about herself. At that point, she was considered an adult and was free to express herself however she wanted. She discovered makeup through social media and found the confidence in herself to take the mask off, in a sense. She discussed the controversial makeup world that was present on YouTube during 2016, and how there were always scandals coming out about the big names in the makeup industry. It was expressed that Hannah dodged a huge bullet by not getting involved.
Hannah describes how embracing her true self and style has had a positive impact on her studies. She has been thriving in college because she’s now more confident in herself. Hannah believes that her confidence boost is what brought her to star in film projects at NYU [New York University]. She discussed how confidence can bring you far in the world of education.
Since this change, Hannah’s social skills have improved; she can now walk up to someone she wants to get to know better, whom she never knew before.
Hannah Staskelunas was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in his life.
The redefining change for Hannah was coming to accept herself as a person. Growing up, she was bullied/harassed for being different by the way she dressed, which was considered “weird.” The bullying got severe enough that Hannah was forced to move to a different school. She was in 7th-8th grade at this point. While the new school was better, Hannah was still traumatized from her previous school experience, so she purposely kept her true self hidden from the general crowd.
High school was relatively the same for Hannah, she finally found a crowd that liked her, but that was due to Hannah concealing a large chunk of her character. It wasn’t really until post-graduation that Hannah came to the realization about herself. At that point, she was considered an adult and was free to express herself however she wanted. She discovered makeup through social media and found the confidence in herself to take the mask off, in a sense. She discussed the controversial makeup world that was present on YouTube during 2016, and how there were always scandals coming out about the big names in the makeup industry. It was expressed that Hannah dodged a huge bullet by not getting involved.
Hannah describes how embracing her true self and style has had a positive impact on her studies. She has been thriving in college because she’s now more confident in herself. Hannah believes that her confidence boost is what brought her to star in film projects at NYU [New York University]. She discussed how confidence can bring you far in the world of education.
Since this change, Hannah’s social skills have improved; she can now walk up to someone she wants to get to know better, whom she never knew before.
Object number2024.79.25a-b
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the theme "Redefining Moments of Change." Conneticans share stories of people or events who have changed their lives or how they have sparked change in the lives of others.Cataloging Note: Digitization and access to this collection is supported by a Congressionally Directed grant through the U.S. Department of Education.
Subject Terms
- Hartford
- Oral history
- Interviews
- Oral narratives
- Family
- Single mothers
- College students
- Middle school students
- High school students
- Actresses
- Women
- White people
- New York University
- New York University. Tisch School of the Arts
- Discrimination
- Bullying
- Makeup (Cosmetics)
- Interviews and Oral Histories
- Born Digital Audio
- Community History Project U.S. Department of Education grant
- Redefining Moments of Change Collection
On View
Not on view
