Hi there! I’m Sarah and I’m originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota but am currently living in Mendoza, Argentina!

I recently graduated from Belmont University with a double major in Marketing and Social Entrepreneurship. During my 4 years in Nashville, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in its dense nonprofit community, working with an organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for education, well-being, self-sufficiency, and healing to resilient communities and individuals who face challenges of poverty and lack of family support. In working with this organization, I was able to not only serve communities locally, but was also given the opportunity to frequently travel and work with similar communities abroad in Sonora, Mexico. I worked with resilient individuals in Mexico and Nashville, empowering children in their education and assisting women in building small businesses. But more importantly, I worked every day to be a small source of hope and healing in the lives of these individuals. Each day was a learning experience, filled with both triumphs and challenges, but I was continuously inspired and encouraged by strength, resilience, and growth. I believe that this amplifies the importance of building meaningful relationships in order to holistically help an individual, giving them a hand up instead of a hand out. These past four years taught me to understand and celebrate cultures different from my own, to have empathy for those who lack resources but still choose resilience, to look for light and hope in the hardest and darkest moments, to love without getting tired, and to fight to change the world of the individual in front of me.

During my final year at Belmont, I had the opportunity to continue this international work from a new perspective by participating in a study abroad program in Mendoza, Argentina: the exact location in which I am completing my Lumos project. Alongside other Belmont students and staff, we spent over two weeks learning about the current business landscape in Argentina from leaders in the community, partnering with a local university to connect directly with students from across the world, and participating in a business pitch competition with these local students to capitalize on a community-based business opportunity within the cultural context. Now, for the next year, I will be working under the major of Mendoza within the Economic Development Secretary Office of Entrepreneurship, Employment, and Social Economy (Secretaria de Desarrollo Economico – Provincia de Mendoza Area de Emprendimiento, Empleo y Economia Social). My role during this time will be broadly supporting the entrepreneurship program managed by the province in partnership with various NGOs that are part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the city. The city has a range of specific programming, from accelerators, to mentoring, workshop planning, etc.. I will work directly under the Director of the office supporting in the areas where I can be most helpful. Some specific tasks that I will conduct are: mentoring, workshop planning, resource connection, network development, student support, and more.

I’m so excited for this opportunity and am looking forward to a year full of growth and discovering more about myself and the world around me!