Take a moment to get to know Sarah Farrar, the new Family Programs Student Assistant.

Tell us about yourself.  My name is Sarah Farrar, and I am from Webb City, Missouri! I have two lovely parents, two older brothers and three nephews that I love unconditionally! I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in human resource management/industrial relations and communications.

I love getting to know new people and finding something we can relate on. I feel my happiest when I am able to help someone out with something! Like most college students, I really enjoy hanging out with my friends and listening to music.

Tell us about the organizations you are involved in. Why is getting involved on campus important for students?  I am on the executive board for Student Activities Council! I am currently the vice president of membership development for the organization, so I get the privilege of creating a sense of togetherness among all of our members and making sure they feel appreciated. I have had the opportunity to be an undergraduate learning assistant for an honors psychology course where I get to help other students learn the material that I enjoy.

I also recently joined the Industrial-Organizational Psychology club as well as Student Government Association. Getting involved on campus is so important because it allows you to meet other students and create lasting friendships! Involvement also keeps you in the loop on what is going on around campus, so you won’t miss as much. Being involved makes Missouri State truly feel like home!

What do you think makes a good leader?  I think that a good leader needs to be empathetic, communicative, encouraging, and ethical! With these traits, a leader should be able to build a relationship with those that are following them and make decisions that are best for everyone in the group.

After working in the SOAR office for the summer and working with family members, what did you learn? How do you use these lessons in your everyday life? I learned so much from working with SOAR this past summer and getting to help family members throughout the process. I learned a lot about how important teamwork is as well as the relationships that you make with your team. When you feel connected with your team, it makes teamwork so enjoyable!

I feel like this summer really strengthened a lot of my leadership skills. I learned how to communicate with a group of over 40 student leaders while also maintaining a friendship with them. I also learned that it is so much more rewarding for me and for the individual I am communicating with when I am genuinely listening to what they have to say and intentionally following up. I use so many of the lessons that I learned this summer in the SOAR program in my daily life, specifically the communication strengths that I gained.

I now make sure to approach all situations with an intentional care and appreciation! I have also been working to make sure that I build a genuine connection with the people that I work on a team with! I am so thankful for the learning experience that SOAR gave me.

What do you like best about Missouri State? Why?  I love so much about Missouri State, but my favorite part has to be just the overall community. There is something about Missouri State that is so supportive, welcoming, kind, and just overall lovely. People will always greet you with a smile, hold the door open for you, and show genuine care for you!

What is your favorite tradition? Why? I might be biased, but my favorite tradition is to attend an after-hours event! My position in Student Activities Council last semester was to plan these events every Thursday night and I loved it! I would definitely recommend attending these events to have so much fun, eat loads of free food, and win amazing prizes.

What piece of advice do you have for MSU students? Get involved!! It will drastically impact your college experience for the better!

What piece of advice do you have for family members?  Be supportive! Your student is going to be surrounded by a lot of different types of people and will be exploring their own individuality. Make sure that they know you love them and care for them by allowing them to figure out who they want to be and what they are passionate about.