Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2018 | Page 4

C O M PA S S I O N
Sarah Strassler '10: Teacher, student, humanitarian
hen Sarah Strassler graduated from Thorn-
ton Academy in 2010 she knew she wanted
to see the world, to study science, and as
trite as it may sound, make the world a bit better be-
cause of her presence. W as a Queen Mother. Wearing traditional vibrant-blue
garments for the celebratory feasts and ceremony,
Strassler was enstooled and formally recognized for
the important and meaningful work she had accom-
plished.
In October 2017, after spending 28 months in Ghana
working for the Peace Corps and focusing her efforts to
enhance the educational opportunities for the people
living near the small village of Menji, Strassler was
named the 2017 Best Volunteer Teacher for her work
with the Menji Agricultural Senior High School. "As part of the ceremony, they gave me a beautiful,
wooden piece of art to remember them by," Strassler
said. The figure is that of a pregnant woman carrying a
baby on her back and a basket on her head.
As she thinks about that day, she remembers being
asked to come forward, in a land more than 4,500
miles from her home in Arundel, Maine, and one
thought rattled through her head: "I hope I haven't
peaked."
But perhaps the most impressive honor Strassler
earned during her time in Ghana occurred when the
people of the community she lived in designated her
Sarah Strassler cleans the board
in her classroom after a day of
teaching in Ghana
4
"The life inside her signifies the life I created there. The
child on her back represents those I carry with me, and
basket on her head allows me to carry pieces of this
place wherever I go."
Strassler paused for a moment as if she had just heard
the words and ideas she expressed for the first time.
"I'm not sure when I will see them again, but I will nev-
er forget my time there."