Interview by Sophia Marcum
With all the busy-ness of midterms, spring-break, and Easter holiday, we were lucky enough to get a hold of Sarah Schriner as she returned from a service immersion experience in Nicaragua. She graduated from Bluffton High School in 2014 and shares below what she’s been up to since then.
Where do you attend school now and what are you studying?
Franciscan University, studying social work.
How would you describe Franciscan University to someone who has never heard of it?
It is a passionately Catholic and academically challenging university. Our Catholic faith is very vibrant on campus and is lived out in more than just the chapel. The people you interact with on a daily basis, from passing them on the sidewalk, serving next to them at the soup kitchen, or talking with them in prayer group, are incredibly kind, genuine, and unique individuals. It is like a big family here on top of the hill, one you would have the rest of your life.
What led you to your field of study?
Growing up, my family was very involved with the Catholic Workers, a group of people who do outreach work in inner-cities. It was started by Dorothy Day in the 1950s and their goal is to be more than just a soup kitchen. A Catholic Worker is a place to build friendships, show support, and find a genuine sense of caring. As a result of this experience I wanted to pursue a career that could do something similar.
What social causes are you the most passionate about?
Abortion. The numbers attached to this social issue are staggering. Daily in just America over 3,700 pregnancies are terminated through abortion, and since its legalization the number is over 50 million.
There should more involvement with programs like Rachel's Vineyard, whose goal is to help rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion. Other programs in need of greater aid are hands on community support groups that get together to provide anything that pregnant woman and young mothers may need, from housing (which should involve us offering our guest bedrooms in our personal homes), food, emotional support, and basic life coaching.
Human trafficking is also a huge issue here in America, but it often is hardly talked about. This is partially because although it is well known that is immoral and an incredibly horrible offense towards humanity, we still continue to create the market place, the demand for it, here in the states.
There needs to be a lot more media spotlight on this topic and a lot more public awareness of this issue that is literally camped out in our backyard.
Rumor has it both you and your team broke a couple of school basketball records, can you tell us about those?
The Franciscan women's basketball team made play-offs last year for the first time in our school’s history. I personally broke the record for single most points scored in a game, 32. However it was beaten this year by our senior guard who had 33, and is a very impressive basketball player. You could say we are all just passing around records at this point.
How have you grown as a person through playing basketball and soccer in college?
Being a part of Franciscan’s sports is something very unique because of the mission of the university. That being, student first and then athlete with our faith being a central part of who we play for and why we play.
We strive to glorify Christ on and off the court or field. It isn't enough to just ask a team to pray with us after the game. Our actions on the court must exemplify true sportsmanship.
Playing two sports in college is exhausting, time consuming, and often physically painful, but so rewarding. Sports in college have taught me to be passionate, how to be a better follower, how to strive to exemplify Christ through my actions, and ultimately how to be a better leader.
If you could grab a meal with anybody (past, present, or future) anywhere in the world, who would you choose and where would you take them?
My grandpa. I never got the chance to meet him because he died before I was born. I would take him to Nick's Diner on Lorain Avenue, in Cleveland. They have the best breakfast specials.
As someone who was home-schooled before coming to Bluffton High School, what were your initial impressions of BHS?
Initially? I thought three minutes between classes wasn't long enough to use the restroom.
Needless to say my first initial day at BHS was a long one. But besides that, I loved going to BHS. The teachers genuinely cared, not just about your studies, but about you. I made some of my best friends there and had some pretty great teammates and coaches.
What are your lasting impressions from your time living in Bluffton?
Bluffton has a sense of community you don't find too many other places. We traveled a ton growing up, so I think it is safe for me to say that. Bluffton, or more importantly the people who are a part of Bluffton's community, are compassionate and kind. I am blessed to be able to come home to such a wonderful community.
Where do you pull inspiration from? This can be in sports, studies, life, or all of the above.
Inspirations for me come from the people in my life. They could be my best friend, my roommate, teammate, parent, priest, professor... all the people who interact with me through these different activities.
I think that in mirroring the positive attributes you see in people, a little from each, you can continue to grow and develop as a person. In this you are ultimately striving to achieve the best version of yourself, and for me attempting to strive every day to grow towards sainthood.
I know you traveled to Nicaragua for a service immersion over your spring break. Can you tell us what type of service you were doing and a bit about the experience?
We did a theology of the body retreat for juniors and seniors for four days and then spent a day at the abandoned children's center in Managua, the capital, just playing with the kids and loving on them.
The simple joy the kids had at the abandoned children's center became apparent the instant they saw you, literally. They ran, and I mean ran, up to us and just started hugging us. One little more in particular just latched onto me and all he wanted to do was be on my shoulders, the entire day.
They weren't selfish in any way and when we played games with them they wanted you to be involved as well and would pass you the basketball or shoot or the soccer ball. They were so completely full of genuine joy and yet they came from the poorest slums of Managua. T
hey had walked five miles to get to the center and the youngest were around the age of 3 and 4. I truly saw Christ in the eyes and smiles of those little Nicaraguan children. I'll never forget it.
Sarah is finishing up her sophomore year this spring and will be study abroad in Austria this fall.
