Sarah is a Virginia native, born and raised in Fairfax County. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Spanish. During her senior year, she took an internship at a local nonprofit. The non-profit provided early childhood education and other services to an otherwise underserved community, as well as a weekly farmers’ market that accepted SNAP benefits and offered free food to those in need. This experience was eye-opening and sparked Sarah’s passion for giving back to her community.
After a long 7-year detour in the corporate world, Sarah decided it was time for a change. She wanted to do meaningful, fulfilling work like she had done at the nonprofit in college. This is what led her to apply for the Americorps VISTA position at TJACH in Charlottesville. Sarah has always loved Charlottesville for its natural beauty, small town feel, and, more recently, increasingly progressive approach to social justice and welfare. She is very excited to be living there and working with some incredible local organizations.
In her free time, Sarah enjoys writing, drinking coffee, doing yoga, and being outside. She plans to take full advantage of all the outdoor activities Charlottesville has to offer (like hiking with her 85-pound Mastiff mix, Luna). She is not sure yet what she will do after her VISTA service, but she plans to spend the next year trying and experiencing as many new things as possible, with the goal of finding her passion and path in life.