Sara Donahue is late to the
interview which takes place in her own office in Academic Affairs. When she
opens the door, her face lights up with a bright smile and she’s enthusiastic
to begin chatting about her life. She sits down at her desk and replies to some
emails before she finishes her workday. As her fingers are tip-tapping across
the keys, she explains that she was late because she was helping a friend. When
she starts telling her story, somehow she keeps taking the spotlight off of
herself and emphasizing others who have made a great impact on her life.
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| Lydia Huggins Sara Donahue at work in Academic Affairs. |
Donahue is a human services major
and senior of the University of the Cumberlands from Harlan, Ky. She is
involved with the drama team of the Baptist Campus Ministries, Campus Activities
Board and Mountain Outreach. She works at Academic Affairs, plays intermural
volleyball, sings with UC singers, enjoys music and going to concerts. In
addition to being a movie fanatic, she adds, “I'm a girl, so obviously I enjoy
shopping. Like, who wouldn't enjoy that?” She is much more than that. She’s a
wonderful friend to everyone she encounters.
“There are not
many things that I am excellent at doing, but I try my best to be a really good
friend to people,” expresses Donahue. “I
just really like spending time with family and friends.”
Being a friend is very important
to Donahue. She followed her desire to help others into the field of human
services. When she came to UC, she was going to major in elementary education.
Instead, she found her passion in actively serving others.
“I really enjoy helping people,
whatever the task is small or big,” says Donahue. “My cup is absolutely over
flowing after doing stuff like that. I knew human services was what I needed to
do. A lot of people had like social work or counseling like very specific and I
don’t even care where I go. I don’t even care what it is, I’ll do whatever.”
Donahue’s
longing to aid others is evident in her many pursuits for a career. She would
love to do something in ministry in the church, particularly with youth, but
would also love doing something on a college campus. Her interest in stopping
sex trafficking by helping the victims get counseling and reassessed into the
real world is also a dream of hers. Even with serious subjects, Donahue likes
to lighten the mood. She jokingly mentions about becoming a country singer,
because she is going to learn to play the guitar this summer.
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| Lydia Huggins Sara in her element on UC campus. |
Also
this summer, Donahue will be a graduate assistant at CAB working with Lisa
Bartram, director of student activities. In the fall, she will be interning at
the boys’ and girls’ club in her community while studying for her masters in
pastoral counseling at UC. She will continue her job as a graduate assistant at
CAB in the spring.
“Sara is one of the most genuine
people I’ve ever known,” says Bartram. “She’s been great in CAB. She always has
a positive attitude and gets everybody on board. And just makes everybody feel
great. It’s been a joy having her.”
CAB has also been influential in
Donahue’s life, as much as she has been to them. She’s gained a lot of friends
there and learned a lot about the nitty-gritty part of organizing an event. The
experience from serving on MO’s spring break trips for the past four years has
been beneficial to her as well. Donahue says she connects really well with the
families that they assist and is not only a blessing to the people, but she is
blessed by them as well.
“Sara encompasses what a woman of
God is,” says Abbey Cherry, Sara’s college friend and roommate. “One of the
most beautiful marks of a Christian is the ability to be relational and I think
that’s Sara’s greatest strength is her ability to reach out to anyone and find
something to relate with them on. Her beauty is shown in her heart for others.”
Donahue’s characteristic of
empathy and compassion for others has been useful to her not only in the
states, but also in Russia where she went on a mission trip. “As cheesy as it
is, love is an international language. Like that love is something that is
understood by everybody,” says Donahue. She thinks of a little boy in
particular, who she left a little bit of her heart with, when she says this.
“I would always love to go back
to Russia,” Donahue says longingly. “I just made a ridiculous connection with
the people that we worked with over there. I have really good friendships with
them. So I would love to go back there.”
A friendship with Donahue is not
short lived. “Sara wasn’t one of the first people I met on campus, but she’s
one of the ones I know will have one of the longest lasting impacts on my life
from my time here,” says Cherry. “I’ve taken her home with me multiple times.
She’s part of my family now. She’s more than a friend, she’s family. I know
that sounds really cheesy, but it’s the truth and my family will attest to
that. She’s my sister.”
Donahue becomes family by being a
good listener to people and show that she cares. The power of prayer is also
very important to her friendships. She expresses that she will pray for someone
as soon as they need prayer no matter how small or big the issue is.
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| Lydia Huggins Sara Donahue and Aryn Bowling laughing and hanging out in the Campus Activities Board's office. |
“Loving people and showing them
love through action and through helping and just being servants to those who
need it and helping them out,” says Donahue emphatically. “That’s all about
everything that Christ is about.”
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