Meet a Rivkin Edu Ambassador: Sarah Czaja

sarah-czaja

Meet an Ambassador

cancan-ambassadorThe Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer’s Education program provides free health education workshops across the west coast. Rivkin Edu campus ambassadors are the feet-on-the-ground representatives at colleges for the Rivkin Center, helping set up workshops, identify opportunities to reach more students, and so much more.

Say hello to Sarah Czaja, Rivkin Edu ambassador at the University of Utah.

About Sarah

Where are you from? Mission Viejo, CA

Where do you live now and what a typical day look like? I live close to campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’m program director for the Ronald McDonald House through our campus’ volunteer hub, the Bennion Center. I’m also minoring in pediatric clinical research. It may be hard to find me on campus, but odds are I’m there no matter the time of day!

What do you do for fun? I love volunteering. Making other people smile, makes me smile. I also love to hang out with my roommates, doing yoga or new activities, like climbing! I also love cooking and baking, so I do that for them a lot.

What is your favorite mantra? When you give without expecting anything in return is when you will actually receive the most.

What is your favorite drink? I really love coffee.

What advice would you give to your younger self? Never settle for people that won’t be good friends back to you. Good friends are out there and they will return the love you show them.

What are you most proud of? I’m most proud of my growing confidence. It’s something I work on everyday, but the people around me are constantly showing me that I am perfect the way I am!

Where’s your favorite place to travel? I loved Ireland and I’m hoping to go back soon. The people and the landscape are both beautiful!

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I write novels and hope to be published someday.

Where do you go to find inspiration? I find inspiration in books. There are so many strong characters and you can learn so much about history.

Where’s your happy place? I feel calm at the beach and in forests. There’s something about those settings that allows my mind to relax and stop overthinking everything.

Who is your role model? My mom. She has always given a lot of herself to others and I have been looking up to her ever since I was a little girl.

How Sarah got involved

What inspired you to get involved with Rivkin Edu? A lot of my family members and close friends have gone through cancer. When women get together and support one another, amazing things can happen. There is so much to learn about cancer and people’s experiences, and I want to be a part of that experience for other people. Talking about cancer can be painful, but Rivkin Edu is such a fun and positive thing. The Rivkin Edu became a way for me to turn my negative experiences into positive ones and help change lives.

What is the most important thing you want attendees to learn at a Rivkin Edu party? I want people to learn how to respect their bodies. A lot of people are ashamed of their bodies but they should feel proud and empowered.

Do you have any Rivkin Edu events coming up? We have 5 parties this week!

Learn more about the Rivkin Education program

Want to learn more about becoming a campus ambassador? Apply here.