Sarah was born near the Virginia coast, where she spent her childhood roaming through forests and marshes, and walking along the ocean shoreline. At age 12, her family moved to Indiana, a change that strengthened her desire to see more of the world. A season on an AmeriCorps conservation trail crew in the American West confirmed her interest in ecology. Still drawn to the sea, she flew to Koh Tao, Thailand, for a planned 12-week stay, discovered scuba diving and remained for nearly two years.

While abroad, Sarah began her undergraduate studies, later returning to the United States to complete a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder. She conducted research on coral reef ecology, wrote an undergraduate thesis, and earned a diving research internship with the National Park Service.

Over the past decade, Sarah has worked as a marine ecologist and science communicator with the National Park Service and partner organizations in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 202,5 she joined Nat Hab's Operations Team, supporting the logistics that help trips run smoothly.

Fieldwork has taken Sarah from the Pacific islands to the Caribbean, and her travels have extended her experience to East Africa and beyond. Time spent in Rwanda and Uganda provided firsthand exposure to tropical forests, wildlife conservation and human-wildlife coexistence. Sarah now lives in Gold Hill, Colorado. She spends her time running backcountry trails, enjoying local bluegrass and planning her next surf trip.