Sarah Jugovic and I sat in Café Rachel and went over her schedule. 7:15am meetings, 3am emails. When most college students are sleeping, she’s working. But there’s not a hint of weariness on her face. In fact, she’s beaming. It’s not just charisma – it’s commitment. She’s the Executive President of Chatham Student Government, and she’s ready to lead.
Why did you choose Chatham?
So I wanted to stay somewhere close to home – born and raised Pittsburgh myself – and when I came to Chatham, people already knew who I was. I came here and I was already a name, never a number. And automatically, you just feel that community aspect here and you just feel like you belong. And everyone says you get that feeling, and I got that feeling. So that’s why I chose Chatham. And this may sound cliché, but I love the women’s leadership, environment and sustainability, and global understanding pillars of excellence. And that really got me, because I loved that those three things not only guided our learning but helped in the program aspects, the living aspect. And now, being here, I always say “That’s so Chatham-y.” And those three pillars just echo throughout the whole campus. They really got me off the get-go.
What’s your major?
I’m double-majoring in Communications and Media Arts with a concentration in Journalism, Graphic Design and PR.
Why did you choose those areas of study?
I really found a passion for writing and journalism my sophomore year of high school. By senior year, I really got into the design aspect. And I was on my high school newspaper and just fell in love with keeping up with the news, and the sweat of the last-minute deadline. So that got me interested, and just being here and taking some of the film classes. And Katie Cruger, my advisor, kind of got me off the get-go with our Environmental Communications course I took my freshman year.
Which one of the courses for your major do you think every Chatham student should take?
I want to tell them Intercultural Communications with Dr. Dajani, but Dr. Dajani isn’t here anymore. I miss her so much. One of the things I took away from the Intercultural Communications class was the first thing, right off the bat, Dr. Dajani said: Suspend your judgment when we talk about any issues in the world or in this classroom. And that has just stuck with me since my first year in the fall semester. And studying abroad this past summer, that has – again – transcended everything. How I approach things. And I always ask, like, “Is this normal? Is this how other people are?” And just suspending judgment to understand other people and cultures and so on. So, definitely Intercultural Communications.
Where did you study abroad over the summer?
I did a 5-week program in Morocco, and then I also did independent travel in Paris, England, Scotland and Spain. It was a good time. I miss it a lot.
Had you been abroad before?
No, that was my first time abroad.
Why Morocco?
I wanted to go somewhere completely different. Different culture, different religion, different language. Very different language. They speak Arabic. But in Morocco, there are different dialects of Arabic. And because of the French encroachment on Morocco, they also speak French…. So there are like three languages going on there at once and it’s really hard to understand, but we just learned Modern Standard Arabic in our course. I just wanted to be somewhere completely different, off the beaten tourist path of Europe, and really suspend judgment and go somewhere different.
What surprised you most about the experience?
A lot. How welcoming people were. How friendly and welcoming. Because even just riding a train and not knowing what stop to get off, if you just get up and ask someone, you’re not only starting a conversation and figuring out which direction you need to go, but you make a personal connection. Like, “Oh, I have family from the city you’re staying in.” Just, the hospitality. It was Ramadan, so the breaking of fast happened around 7:30, 8 o’clock every night, and some of our professors invited us into their homes and we got to break fast and eat breakfast with their family. They just treated you like one of their own, so that was really nice.
What advice do you have for someone who’s studying internationally for the first time?
Go somewhere with a good currency exchange. [laughs] [One Moroccan dirham is equal to 0.12 of the US Dollar.] It’s a really good exchange rate.
And you traveled independently after Morocco? With a program or by yourself?
I went with International Studies Abroad with Morocco, and then took two classes at the university there, and then we did the excursions on the weekends. But before, when I was booking my plane tickets in March or April, Ivy Kurhman … she was in Paris. And my layover was in Paris for my flight. It was only for three hours, and something was telling me, There’s no way I can go to Paris and spend three hours [in the airport]. Like, go and experience Paris. So I changed my flight and I stayed in Paris by myself for the first time ever for three days, met up with Ivy, went to Morocco, and then after I met my roommate from Chatham in London. … So, independent living. But they speak English there, so it was a lot easier. That’s kind of why I chose it.
So what made you decide to run for Chatham Student Government Executive President?
Well, let’s go back to my first year CSG days. Abby Brennan, Class of 2013, was a big inspiration to get involved in student government in the first place. Everyone lived in Fickes in our first year – as it is now – and there were a bunch of people running for president, and everyone was up against one another, but no one was running for Vice President. Abby Brennan was kind of like, Hey, we need some first years to lead your class…. And she was my Chatham Scholar mentor, so we had met before for coffee and things like that. Even though we were in this mentoring program throughout my first year and through Student Government, Abby became my mentor. And she at the time was Executive President of Student Government. So after that, the following year, she encouraged me to run for the Executive Board. So my sophomore year, I was elected as Vice President of Communications, and that was the defining year that I knew I was going to be in Student Government the next year with the new coed changes. And I loved the challenge of hearing from students, talking with administration, bridging that gap and really solving a problem. And, yes, we’re all students, we can all make a difference, but being a liason between the two entities and really learning how things and people work – not here at Chatham, but in the real world, essentially – kind of kept me going. And I also have to [hand it to] the other young women who were on our board with us last year. Mareija Bibbs was our Executive President, and you can only be as good as Mareija. Essentially, with your other leaders and the rest of the team, you can only be as good as the rest of the team that you’re surrounded with, so the eight of us really bonded. And whether it was 1am meetings or 7am Senate meetings, we were all in it together and, I’d like to think, making a difference here at Chatham. So, that’s why I ran for the position I’m in now.
What is the biggest thing you learned from watching Mareija last year that you’re going to apply in your leadership this year?
So, I constantly find myself consumed by emails and getting things done on time, and making sure I’m in constant communication with the Senate and Executive Board, and all of the problems and dealings that are going on and that we’re dealing with in Student Government. And I think what I admire with Mareija is that she had the ability to take a step back and say, OK, let’s look at this problem, analyze it, and not get overwhelmed … but fix it…. I see the problem and I immediately want to fix it, but Mareija could step back and say, Here’s A, B and C, that’s what we need to do to get there. And the most important thing she left me with was, take time for yourself. Because I’ll be up until 3am trying to make something happen or get in contact with someone. And she’s like, You just need to take a step back from your work and treat yourself. Just sit there and do nothing. So definitely her laid-back attitude, but she definitely had some urgency and drive to [see] things through.
Check back Tuesday, September 23 for Part 2 of our interview with Sarah Jugovic!