Like any A-List celebrity, Sarah Ehlinger ’11 lives the life of fame – (insert euphoric-sounding music here) traveling to far off lands, speaking in front of masses of adoring fans, receiving numerous awards, and expressing her physical grace in sport.
(Music suddenly stops) But unlike any celeb, Sarah is little more understated about the things she does – except when she’s busting her dance moves – and is always doing them for a good cause. So, Sarah, today we’re doing the bragging for you.
Ehlinger is a senior Geology major who hails from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. And in addition to being an overall smartie (she has the G.P.A many of us only dream of) she is probably the most outgoing, fun Lawrentian we know.
Back to her “celebrity” life…
Traveling to Far off Lands:
For the past two years, Ehlinger has made the trek to Africa as part of Professor Skran’s Sierra Leone Project which happens in December. While we all were warm and cozy at home, Sarah wasn’t exactly on vacation; she was doing service and research in a country that most Americans still don’t understand.
“Sierra Leone is unimaginably poverty-stricken, which makes studying any discipline that much more complicated – and interesting – in this country,” said Ehlinger. “They suffered from a decade-long, violent civil war which only ended about 10 years ago. Many of their problems today are a result of this conflict.”
Every year, Skran takes a group of students to Sierra Leone to conduct research on the refugees there and also to disperse scholarships to elementary-aged children. After Sarah’s first visit there, she decided that she wanted to take the research even further in another trip.
“I flew over to study lead contamination in schoolyards around the country,” Ehlinger said. “The water quality, waste, and air pollution is horrible there, and having clear health effects on many adults and children living in the country.”
Last year she also helped Skran talk to the children’s families and distribute the scholarships. As a member of the women’s soccer team, she brought over soccer balls and goals funded by Lawrence Varsity athletes.
Being in a place that many can only imagine through movies like Blood Diamond, Ehlinger said that she has realized, but also embraced the challenges in Sierra Leone. What a cool thing.
Her plug for other students who may want to make their piece of the difference:
“Prof. Skran plans to return with students next winter break to study environmental problems of Africa, so if you are interested, contact her. And if you’re interested in sponsoring a child at a school ranked 2nd in the country, a year’s tuition is only $47!”
More about “the life”:
Speaking in Front of Masses of adoring fans: After these experiences, the LU community needed to know what its star was up to. So Ehlinger was selected to speak to hundreds in front of hundreds of people during Lawrence’s fall convocation about her time in Africa, and her future plans. The crows went wild when they saw and heard this campus celebrity share her thoughts and infinite wisdom!
Receiving Numerous Awards: While we wouldn’t have time to name them all, we do think it is pretty awesome that Ehlinger not only won a $25,000 (yes – three zeros!) Rotary Award for the Midwest region, but she is using that money to return to Africa, yet again.
This time around: Ghana. Ehlinger will be studying at the University of Ghana and implementing a self-designed project involving environmental research and Geology.
Expressing Her Physical Grace in Sport: After playing Varsity basketball and soccer throughout college, she has mastered kicking and throwing balls with grace – and is also incredibly fit: check out her visit to Ellipse Fitness with Her Campus™ Lawrence here!
Ehlinger has also garnered an unprecedented four All-Conference nods for soccer; that means that she won an award every year here at Lawrence. Her most recent feats: First Team All Conference, Second Team Academic All-American, and the school record for most points scored.
Sure, Ehlinger is a celebrity. But that doesn’t mean the celebrity life fell into her lap by accident. This girl “works, works, all day long” (think the Alan Jackson song, “Good Time”) but also manages to be one of the most cheerful and positive people we know. I guess you can say that Sarah is the epitome of Lawrence’s “healthy balance” statement.
So thanks Sarah, for being such a dynamic person who dominates what you do, and inspires us to reach for more.
Random Facts (AKA tips for guys who want to woo her)
She was born in Canada.
She loves banana chocolate chip oatmeal pancakes
She love big dogs.
She likes to whistle through her teeth.