Editor's note: "Year One: Life at ASU" is a periodic photo series following five freshmen navigating their first year at ASU. This installment checks in on Hannah Kiesling, a Barrett scholar majoring in nursing.
Hannah Kiesling's freshman year at Arizona State University is going better than she expected it would. "School is going great," said the freshman from Illinois. "I am honestly surprised how prepared I was for all my classes." It's one reason why she's been able to add social activities and experiences into her schedule, like joining a sorority.
Kiesling pledged and was accepted into the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority earlier this fall. As part of the group she participated in the recent War of the Roses flag football game that pits sororities against each other.
For fall break she surprised her family with a visit home, though the long weekend was quite a bit colder than her days at ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus.
Overall, "I have been able to manage really well, I think," she said. "I just do all my work right when I get it, and then I have time to do all the other fun activities in my schedule."
-
Hannah Kiesling laughs as she and her sorority sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma joke around before playing tag football on the Student Recreational Complex fields at Tempe campus on the morning of Sunday Oct. 25, 2015. The game was part of the War of the Roses, an annual occurrence which pits Greek organizations against each other for charity and awareness.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
-
Sometimes you want to look the part to play part, which is why Hannah Kiesling and her teammates paint black lines under their eyes to absorb the sunlight as they prepare to play tag football. Hannah wasn't expecting to play, just support her sorority sisters. But when there was an opening in the lineup she stepped up to help.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
-
Part of the freshman experience is the bonding first-year students do with their peers. Kiesling has found friends through her sorority sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma. They huddle and cheer before starting their game of flag football during the War of the Roses.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
-
Hannah Kiesling and her sorority sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma get ready for the friendly flag football "battle" during the War of the Roses by tossing around the ball.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
-
So much of the freshmen experience is meeting new people, but Kiesling doesn't forget her old friends either. Before the flag football game she found her high school friend Danielle DiMaggio and gave her an enthusiastic hug.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
-
The game has begun as Kiesling and her sorority sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma take the field at the Student Recreational Complex on the Tempe campus to play flag football against the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. The teams were coached by members of the male fraternities.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
-
Kiesling played defense for her flag football team, which meant she had to keep her arms behind her back to avoid "tackling" someone. Despite the awkward body position, she was agressive on the field and helped her team.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
-
Kiesling's team lost the game, but they had fun being part of the annual War of the Roses events. Her dedication to getting her work done first allows Kiesling to have these student life experiences as she moves through her first year at ASU — like taking a selfie with her fellow footballers.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
See what Hannah was up to earlier in the semester in these past galleries:
More Sun Devil community
After 20 years in gymnastics, ASU Law grad finds new purpose in sports industry
For Peyton Valdez, sports have never just been competitions — they’ve been community, identity and home. After spending 20 years as a gymnast, she found herself searching for a new way to stay…
ASU Online helps grad move forward, succeed on own terms
Hardie Kressler planned to stay in the Northeast for college, enrolling at a school not far from his home in Rumson, New Jersey. But, in 2020, before beginning his freshman year, Kressler experienced…
Public servant, Navajo legislator earns Outstanding Graduate distinction
Myron Tsosie is the fall 2025 Outstanding Graduate for ASU’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. Courtesy photo Rep. Myron Tsosie, a member of the…