How She Got There: Sara Potler, Founder & CEO, Dance 4 Peace, Inc.

Name:
Sara Potler
 
Age:
25
 
Job Title and Description:
Founder & CEO, Dance 4 Peace, Inc.

College/Major:
University of Virginia, Foreign Affairs and Spanish

Website:
www.dance4peace.org
www.facebook.com/dance4peace
www.twitter.com/dance4peacenow

Twitter Handle:
dance4peacenow
 
What is a typical day like for you?
There really is never a typical day when working with young people and dancers; each day is an adventure! Key components to a good day include a morning workout, productive emails, fruitful meetings with potential and current partners, laughter, hearing from inspiring PeaceMovers making peace move in their classrooms, good coffee, and if I’m lucky, an evening dance class for myself.
 
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
I worked with the Organization of American States in their Education and Culture Department, looking at civic education and engagement programs in Latin America. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many dynamic, brilliant people from Latin America, and it was here that my interest in peace education was sparked. I secured this position through polite persistence and attentive follow-up, ensuring my application was considered for a position for which I was incredibly excited.
 
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
My Fulbright supervisor in Bogota, Colombia challenged me to be entrepreneurial, innovate, and create a program of my own while in Colombia. Many of my Fulbright Scholar colleagues supported existing research during their time overseas, and this had been my expectation, but my Fulbright professor pushed me to do something original and independent of his own work in the area of peace education. Dr. Chaux’s faith in me is what inspired the birth of Dance 4 Peace in Colombia.

Is there a particular quote or mantra that you live by?
Live hard.

What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
When Dance 4 Peace was first getting off the ground in the United States, I wanted every school and community who wanted to receive Dance 4 Peace to be able to be a part of our network. I quickly learned that scaling and growing too fast, while exciting, could be problematic without proper systems in place, capacity, and organization. We now know that we need to do extensive research and prep work before expanding to new cities and countries.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I love watching the PeaceMovers in various corners of the world take ownership of Dance 4 Peace and make it their baby, too. It’s been incredibly humbling to see so many people get excited about the work that we’re doing and then take it upon themselves to make Dance 4 Peace even better at promoting interpersonal and intercultural peace among our youth.

What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
I want to work with people who are passionate, firmly believe in what they’re doing, and take pride in the work they do and how it affects the big picture.
 
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
You don’t always have to choose between your personal and professional passions. If you innovate, think big, question what’s already being done, and challenge yourself and those around you, you can find a way to fuse your passions and build a career that meets all aspects of your personal and professional aspirations. If you achieve this, you don’t have to worry about work/life balance, because you will truly love what you do.