Hannah Melton’s leadership experiences at Arkansas Tech University have taught her that what some view as failure is actually an opportunity to learn and grow.
“Anytime I was in a role of leadership, my biggest thing was leading by example and leading with empathy,” said Melton. “People make mistakes. Things don’t always go as planned. It’s not about pointing out that this was awful…it’s about figuring out what went wrong and what we are going to do better next time.”
A senior from Clarksville, Melton was selected by the ATU Center for Student Engagement and First-Gen Success as the January 2026 ATU student leader of the month.
“There’s something about the organizations I was in at Arkansas Tech…I feel like I’ve grown so much as a leader,” said Melton. “I don’t realize how much I have learned and grown until I start thinking about it and talking about it. I wouldn’t be able to do the things I am doing now if I hadn’t taken those opportunities. Every time I meet a new leader, I learn their skills. There’s always something they do that I really like and want to apply to my leadership.”
Melton has served as president, vice president of new member education and in multiple additional leadership roles for Delta Zeta sorority.
She is a member of the ATU Honors program and has been active in ATU Student Activities Board, ATU Student Government Association and the new student orientation program.
Melton has also served as a student worker in the ATU Division of Student Affairs, in the Hull Building Student Union and for Jerry the Bulldog, campus ambassador, as one of his student handlers.
A member of the 2025 ATU Homecoming court, Melton was selected 2024 ATU Greek woman of the year and was named Who’s Who at Arkansas Tech in 2025.
A rehabilitation science major at ATU, Melton plans on pursuing a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree once she completes her bachelor’s degree at Arkansas Tech.
“For me, it’s been meeting a whole bunch of people,” said Melton when asked about her favorite aspect of ATU. “The first thing I got involved in was Delta Zeta. That opened a huge pathway for me. I met Ellie Stokes, who helped me get a job at the student union, which also helped me get to work with Jerry. As I started to get more involved, I made more connections with people. I love meeting people. There are so many different types of people, and learning from them is really great.”
