Hannah Burst and her family knew they were being told something important – they just weren’t quite sure what it was at first.
“(Destrehan High School Principal Jason Madere) had called my mom at Mimosa Park (Elementary School), and the Wi-Fi was a little bad. Whatever they were telling us, it kept cutting out. So, we knew they were trying to tell us something, but we didn’t know what. So, it took a second,” Burst said.
But once that issue was cleared up, the news was delivered – Burst was Destrehan High School salutatorian.
“It was super nice to hear the news,” said Burst. “Mr. Madere, I’ve know him for a very long time. He’s my grandma’s neighbor and we lived with her for a while as our house was getting built. When he called, he was saying how he got to see me grow up. It was very exciting and great to know I was going to get to represent DHS and make a speech … a lot of emotions, but mostly excitement.”
Burst and Destrehan valedictorian CeCe Cody are close friends, so that added another layer to the experience.
“We’ve danced together since we were probably four at our studio and for the (Desty Darlings) dance team as well. We’ve always been pretty good friends and it was awesome sitting on the stage with each other and each get ting to deliver a speech,” Burst said.
Burst said that while she had an idea she was in the running for the honor, it was never a specific goal of hers – rather, it was the result of several smaller, consistent goals she set for herself.
A strong student in elementary and middle school, she really began at an awards ceremony with her mother and learning about the Principals List.
“I asked my mom what that was, and she said it was for students with all As. And I was like, OK, I’m going to get that through the rest of my schooling,” Burst said. “I set goals and tried to build (the salutatorian) honor kind of just followed with it.”
She also credited building relationships with both teachers and classmates as major assists toward the honor.
“I was never upset to go to school – I knew I’d see all those friendly faces each day,” Burst said.
Burst is headed to Louisiana Tech where she plans to study elementary education. That career path follows in the footsteps of her mother, Gina, who is assistant principal at Mimosa Park Elementary and served as a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Norco Elementary School for 14 years and then as assistant principal at Allemands Elementary.
When Burst was an elementary school student, she would follow her mother around the school campus as the latter went about her day as a teacher. And Burst would find more inspiration when she moved on to Harry Hurst Middle School – Sammi Caillouet, who teaches English at Hurst, was another major influence for Burst.
“She was a really good teacher for me … it all kind of just sparked that inspiration of wanting to be a teacher,” Burst said. “I’ve always had good teachers who were good role models and I want to be that for other people. And I’ve always wanted to have a job that I could serve others and help them.”
Burst was a member of the Destiny Darlings, the National Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, the Fishing Club Honor Society, the Student Council, Beta Club and Mu Alpha Theta.
As a senior, she helped spur the Destys to national championship honors in Division 1 Small Varsity Gameday in February. 
“That was a big goal of ours and we put in a lot of work for that achievement … I’ll always remember that,” Burst said.
Performing at football games with her dance teammates is also something she’ll cherish.
“Those football games, it was always so fun to see all the students and our community coming together to support our players,” Burst said.
Though she kept a very busy schedule, Burst also volunteered her time to help others and was recognized for that by the St. Charles Parish Rotary Club, which awarded Burst and Hahnville High’s Corban Burrell the organizations Young Person of the Year honors.
She has volunteered at the Alligator Festival and Special Olympics, and has assisted with holiday events at the school district’s Head Start centers. Burst has also assisted teachers at Allemands Elementary School, helping to alleviate some of their workload, and also has worked with a speech pathologist to help make adapted books for special education students who have communication difficulties.
