Keep holding on and don’t give up.

That’s the main message junior Hannah Riggs aims for when she writes her poetry and music.

“I remember being a child and doing music nights at my house and how my dad would always talk to me about what the music and lyrics behind it meant and reasons why the lyrics were what made the music, music,” Riggs said. “The music just reminded me of being a child when everything was blissful.”

For Riggs, writing conveys her personal thoughts and emotions when she feels like there’s nobody else to go to for advice.

“A lot of times I’m just getting stuff off my chest and relieving myself of the pressures. My dad started traveling a lot and I felt by writing, it was a way to be with him when he was gone,” Riggs said. “It makes me feel like I’m important in somewhere that I actually have thoughts and feelings. It helps me feel secure.”

In addition to her solo writing, Riggs is also forming a band entitled “Weakness and the Hero” with freshman Britni Gillespie.

“It just kind of happened. We’re always talking about music and how much we loved it. From there on we just talked about writing music and then I would show Britni my covers,” Riggs said. “We decided we should try doing something in a band and it’s just turned out pretty good so far.”

The band plays heavy alternative rock. Riggs also said that they’re still looking for a drummer and hopefully male vocals. They’ve written one song titled “12 Months in, Six Feet Under” of which they’ve shown to friends for feedback and advice. Riggs has the YouTube account HannahKilledtheRadio where she posts covers of songs as well as on her Facebook page.