Name: Sarah E. Sandkuhler
Hometown: Lititz, Pennsylvania
Year: 2019
Major/minor: Neuroscience major, music minor
Favorite Movie: I’ve always loved Forrest Gump and the Princess Bride. Also, I saw La La Land over Christmas break and absolutely fell in love with it!
Favorite Book: This is always such a hard question. I can narrow it down to Jane Eyre; Cry, the Beloved Country; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; To Kill a Mockingbird; and a children’s book called The Mysterious Benedict Society.
What are you passionate about? Scientific inquiry, making a contribution to the world, and ice cream.
Where would your next travel destination be? If I could go anywhere, I would probably want to go to Switzerland: the Alps are absolutely beautiful, the towns are full of history, and the chocolate is to die for.
Who is your greatest inspiration? I’m not sure that there’s any one person that is my main source of inspiration. For the most part, it’s my friends that motivate me to be a better person. I see all the good qualities of the people around me and want to emulate them.
Is that a weird answer?
What advice would you give your 16 year old self? I would tell myself that things don’t always work out according to plan, and that’s not a bad thing–the ability to be flexible is a useful one. I would also tell myself that the best moments, for the most part, are going to happen when you’re least expecting. The most cherished memories aren’t necessarily going to be big events, but may just come from quietly spending time with people you love.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? I would probably say my greatest achievement is earning my Girl Scout Gold Award (the Girl Scout equivalent of the Eagle Scout award) my senior year of high school. I started a music therapy program for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia in a nursing home in my hometown. It was quite fascinating to see how the patients interacted with the music and to see how their demeanors changed. It was so rewarding to see them light up when they heard a song they remembered!