DANBURY, Connecticut — Western Connecticut State University has announced that Oxford resident Hannah Alexander is a recipient of the coveted Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award for 2026. The award is given to two outstanding seniors, and Alexander was selected from an extremely competitive field of fellow students for this prestigious Connecticut State Colleges and Universities honor.
Alexander is no stranger to being recognized for her accomplishments. As a high school student, she split her time between Oxford High School and New Haven’s Educational Center for the Arts, where she participated in the elite Connecticut Regional program to perform on her cello in a statewide orchestra.
Her love of music dates back to fourth grade, so understandably, Alexander is a Music Performance major at WestConn. But what might be surprising is that she has a dual major, and also is pursuing a Justice and Law Administration – Legal Studies degree.
Alexander noted that the ability to simultaneously pursue two seemingly disparate majors is one of the things that made WestConn the best choice for her.
“Even though other programs also offered me scholarships, there was just something different about WestConn,” she said. “I felt very secure in my choice to come here, and I would encourage anyone to consider this option. Meeting with teachers and current students can’t be replicated. WestConn is the most friendly and welcoming place I looked at, and is so different from typical conservatory settings. Here, there is camaraderie and everyone lifts each other up.”
Alexander added, “None of the other schools I considered could have offered a dual major experience this way, and I could not be more grateful for how the university supported me and made it work in my schedule.”
While at WestConn, Alexander has maintained a 3.91 GPA and has been the recipient of the Strong Scholarship, the JUMY Foundation Scholarship, and the WCSU Presidential Scholarship. In addition to the time she spends in Kathwari Honors Program activities, Alexander is a three-time elected E-board member of the Strings Club, a member of the Brass Club, and a member of the JLA Society. She is a bass trombonist in addition to being a cellist. She also serves as a Precollegiate Access Program, Promoting Academically Successful Students mentor, and has a hand in running music events on campus as a crew member.
She is a two-time winner of the WCSU Music Department’s Soloists’ Competition, and the soloist selected to play the Elgar Cello Concerto with the WCSU Orchestra in this year’s spring concert. Her chamber group won the WCSU Furman Music Competition in 2025. In 2024, she participated in a community event called Violins of Hope, a project of concerts based on a private collection of violins, violas and cellos, all collected since the end of World War 2. During the event, Alexander performed on a recovered cello.
When asked about her most memorable experiences at WestConn, Alexander’s responses reveal her dual interests. “I have a new cello professor, Dr. Eliot Bailen, and I have absolutely loved my instruction under him. I’ve been so lucky,” she said. “I performed in my junior recital last May, which was a half-hour solo, and it was amazing. I’m very proud of it. This spring, I have my senior recital coming up, and I’m super excited. It will be an hour, and I get to ask some of my peers to join me onstage.”
In the same breath, Alexander explained that she has joined the university’s award-winning Moot Court Team at the suggestion of the coach, Associate Professor of Justice and Law Administration Thomas A. Miller, JD. “I’ll be participating in the Schramm Cup this spring, and I am working my tail off,” she said. “I really enjoy Professor Miller’s class, and I was so excited and honored to be hand-picked for the team. It’s the most challenging class I’ve had.”
While she is grateful to all of the WestConn faculty and staff who have provided her with opportunities and supported her on her journey, Alexander said she has heartfelt appreciation for Dr. Fernando Jimenez, fondly known as “Dr. J” in the Music Department. “He has been one of my biggest supporters and certainly a favorite of mine, throughout numerous ensemble and conducting classes I’ve taken with him,” she said. “Additionally, I have taken private trombone lessons with him, and he has encouraged my pursuit of all things musical despite my busy schedule. I have been lucky enough to play as his first-chair cellist in the WCSU Symphonic Orchestra since my freshman year, and he has selected me to perform as a soloist not once, but twice, during my time here. He has been a wonderful mentor and inspiration in my life.”
When she found out that she was eligible to apply for consideration for a Barnard Award, Alexander said she was surprised and full of nervous anticipation. When she was notified that she had been selected, she said her entire family was very excited. “What a wonderful day it was,” she said, adding that she is proud to share the honor with fellow Barnard Award winner Gianna Fanelli. “I want to acknowledge how proud of her I am, as well as inspired by her challenging dual degree accomplishments.”
After her May 2026 graduation, Alexander plans to continue teaching private cello lessons at Southbury Music School, where her own early lessons took place, and at the Danbury Community Conservatory, where she teaches underprivileged students. She also performs with the Danbury Symphony and at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Oxford, and takes gig calls at other area churches. She has applied for a paralegal position at the Danbury Courthouse, with the goal of moving up to working in the Clerk’s office. She gained field experience in an internship with the Probation Office last summer, and hopes to turn that field work into courtroom work to prepare for her future legal career. Alexander plans to take the LSAT exam this summer, and to apply to entertainment law programs in fall 2027.
“While I know music is and will always be a huge part of my life, I am ready to explore additional avenues and begin to branch out from my musical cocoon,” Alexander wrote in her Barnard Award application. “After graduating, I hope to go to an Ivy League Law School. I’m interested in commercial law and its ties to the music community in areas like intellectual property and copyright law. I am hopeful that one day I will work as a legal advocate for musicians’ rights and compensation.”
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.