Allison Hahn

Allison Hahn ‘24 discovered her interest in photography when she received her first camera as a young child. In high school, she would take photos for her friends and family members. Since then, she turned her passion for capturing special moments into a side business. Allison has been taking senior photos during her time at Texas A&M for the past three years. She is now looking at the possibility of turning her photography business into a full-time career after graduation.

Allison studied Agricultural Economics with a focus in Finance and Real Estate, as well as earned a minor in Agribusiness Entrepreneurship. Born and raised in the small town of Cuero, TX, Allison chose to focus on finance and real estate because of her personal interest in possibly pursuing a career in the appraisal or banking field. She got involved in the Dianne and M. Edward Rister '74 Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program because she wanted to have a better understanding of how a business operates. She says she can not recommend this program enough, especially for anyone wanting to start their own business.

Allison Hahn

For her AGEC 425 project, Allison chose a wedding photography business. Her reason for choosing this business is that she currently has her own photography business, Allison Brooke Photography, LLC. While her business currently focuses on serving seniors, families, and couples, she plans to expand into the wedding photography industry following her graduation in December of 2024.

Throughout the past two semesters, she evaluated her business to understand its potential for success. Allison also found mentors in the photography industry who she believes she never would have met otherwise without expectations of the program to identify mentors. She says the real-world experience she received from working with her mentors motivated her to continue to work towards her goal of becoming a wedding photographer. The AGEC 425 project has also helped her feel overall more prepared and confident for her business post-graduation.

Like many, Allison feels that the biggest challenge she faced in AGEC 425, the final course of the two-semester capstone for the program, was the time commitment. She not only had to balance her class work but also continued to run her photography business at one of the busiest times for her: graduation. Although it was a struggle at times, Allison does feel that this experience is an accurate reflection of the difficulties that come with running a business. Coming into the Rural Entrepreneurship program, she thought an entrepreneur had to be someone who had a unique and unheard of idea. She says that she now understands that anyone can be an entrepreneur. It just requires working hard and believing in your ideas.

After graduation, Allison plans to continue her photography business. While she is undecided if she will pursue it full-time or if it will remain a part-time career alongside another job, she does know that she wants to continue capturing people’s special moments and memories. She credits her success within the program to Dr. Ed Rister, stating he has been "a great help to all of us in the program," and appreciates how much of his time and energy he puts into helping the students. Allison competed in the Texas Farm Credit Entrepreneurial Dreams Symposium earlier this month. She received the Entrepreneurial Visionary Award. You can check out Allison’s business via Instagram , Facebook, or her website- https://allisonbrookephotography21.mypixieset.com/.

Allison Brooke Photography website