Award-winning teacher, 21, and her disabled brother, 18, both drown in Lake Michigan during family trip

A well-liked Indiana teacher and her disabled younger brother both tragically drowned in Lake Michigan in a horror accident on a family trip. 

Hannah Zweig, 21, an award-winning high school teacher at John Adams High School in South Bend, died alongside her brother Yosef, 18, on Monday. 

Zweig, a life skills teacher, was described as a dedicated educator who was named 'Rookie Teacher of the Year' at the SBCSC Teacher of the Year Celebrations just months before she lost her life. 

Authorities have not released details of how the siblings died in the lake, with her school writing on social media that it was the result of a 'tragic accident.' 

When Zweig won her teaching award earlier this year, she told WNDU that she helped care for her brother who was developmentally disabled. 

She began her teaching career last year, and her school principal Jim Seitz said after her passing that he recalled her eagerness to help children when she first reached out to him about a job. 

'I actually received an email from her about two years ago, explaining that she was finishing up her degree and she would be interested in a life skills teaching position at Adams High School,' Seitz said. 

'And you could see from the tone of her email the compassion that she had for young people, especially young people with special needs.'

Seitz said the community is stunned by her sudden loss, and said his school would be providing counselors and support staff for her devastated students. 

In a letter to Zweig's school's families, Seitz said the teacher 'made learning a cornerstone of her life.'

'She built positive relationships with all of her students and always worked to find ways for them to have success,' the principal wrote.

'Most importantly, she was a friend to everyone she encountered. She always saw the best in people and made everyone around her better because of her hard work and positive attitude.' 

According to Zweig's LinkedIn account, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior University in Albany, New York, in 2023. 

At the time she passed away, she was also enrolled in a master's degree program in special education and teaching at Grand Canyon University.

In a post to her LinkedIn account, Zweig wrote that she had found her first year as a teacher 'both challenging and incredibly rewarding.' 

'I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues, the encouragement from leadership, and the opportunity to work with such inspiring students each day,' she wrote.

She said that her first year as an educator 'challenged me, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and taught me lessons that no college course ever could.'

'Teaching has reminded me that success isn’t measured only by academic progress, but by the connections we build, the confidence we help create, and the small moments that make a lasting impact,' Zweig said. 

Journalist Joshua Short also shared a touching tribute to the teacher, saying he met her when she was awarded 'Rookie Teacher of the Year' at the SBCSC Teacher of the Year Celebrations. 

Short said he shared a story about Zweig's award, and said 'her passion for advocating for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities also jumped out immediately.'

'It’s a cause we both cared deeply about, and we were actually planning to collaborate on another story highlighting that incredible community,' Short wrote.

'Beyond her work in the classroom, what stuck with me most was how much she loved her brother Yosef. He wasn’t just her brother; he was truly her best friend. She was his biggest advocate.   

'Tonight, I’m keeping her family, her students, and everyone who loved her in my thoughts. As heartbreaking as this truly is for many, I find a bit of solace knowing she’s together with her “bestie” still.'