The All Together One Award Ceremony represents a time to recognize a few of the remarkable people in the JMU Community who are so deserving of this award based on building community, inspiring others, and working towards the common good.  For Sarah Wilson, this description is just about perfect!  

To say the least, Sarah’s involvement here at JMU is impressive!  She has been involved in SafeRides, Psychology Peer Advising, and counseling at Varner House.  She has also been a peer educator through CARE and REACH.  Through her time with REACH alone, Sarah has touched the lives of over 6,000 students.  Despite her heavy involvement with these organizations, Sarah has excelled academically as she is a member of the Psychology Honor Society.  Most of her commitments have been for the past three years, and within a majority of these organizations, Sarah has held executive positions at one time. 

In addition to her widespread involvement on campus, Sarah’s reach extends far beyond the beautiful Bluestones of JMU.  In the Harrisonburg community, Sarah has been with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has interned at Harrisonburg High School in counseling.  Most of these commitments have been since her sophomore year!
Despite this impressive list, it’s what others see in Sarah as a person that is most inspiring.  If you haven’t noticed a trend by now, Sarah’s passion has been reaching out to others and making their lives better.  Whether it’s been late-night driving for SafeRides, advising her peers, or educating on how to make healthier decisions, Sarah’s mission has been to help others.  

The common themes when people describe Sarah are her good nature, kind heart, selfless humility, and endless dedication.  Tim Howley, a recipient of the All Together One award last spring, describes Sarah’s interactions with a group as a “member who is always willing to help out, volunteer for a program (even when it isn’t convenient to do so) and even attend a National Conference.”

Sarah clearly embodies the spirit of the All Together One award.  She has been building community throughout her involvement in different organizations, helping to build collaboration between a multitude of groups on campus.  She as been working toward the common good as she has been educating her peers on how to make safer, healthier decisions.  Finally, Sarah has been inspiring others all along, touching the lives of everyone around her and motivating others around her to be better people and to help others.  

As Sarah graduates in a month, undoubtedly she will take her positive influence wherever she goes, and will continue to build community, inspire others, and work towards the common good.

Written by: Melanie Schaffer