By Amanda Giglio
If you have ever walked into a Rodrigue’s meeting looking to get coffee, only to be confused and redirected, you have probably seen Sarah Champlin, FCRH ’16, sitting cross-legged on top of the counter.
“It had always been a dream to sit on the counter from day one, so of course I wanted to become co-president,” said Champlin jokingly about her being one of the co-presidents of Rodrigue’s Coffee House.
A member since freshman year, Sarah, an Illinois native, has been on the e-board of Rodrigue’s for three years now. Beginning as secretary, she then became vice president and now is president, alongside Tim Livingston, FCRH ’16.
“Rods was where I found my first friends,” she said. “I really appreciate the space and how it is safe for people and has a personality and heritage of its own.”
As an e-board member, Sarah is able to take the history at Rodrigue’s and preserve it, but she continues to help the space evolve for current students. When she is not sitting on counters and making coffee, Sarah is partaking in GO! projects and most recently producing this year’s “Vagina Monologues.”
“I performed in it two years ago and wanted to be able to take a leadership role with it and bring my love of it to the stage,” she said. “It is a cool production and I wanted to make sure it happens, anyway I can.”
Sarah explained how the “Vagina Monologues” is a series of feminist sketches about the experiences of women. Her feminism and social justice-driven mind can also be seen in her involvement in Women’s Empowerment and GO! projects, including GO! Mexico and, most recently, GO! Nicaragua.
In Mexico, Sarah and her team built compostable outhouses from mud and tutored kids, and in Nicaragua she helped to build an addition on a house out of cement and cinderblocks. These were perfect for her as she already had building experience after working at a home repair organization.
“I love cultural immersion trips that have an aspect of service, as it gives me a new perspective and a genuine look into another person’s culture,” Champlin said about GO!. “Everyone I go with have become great friends of mine and we all bonded so well and still continue to hang out frequently.”
Both of her GO! projects, as well as her time abroad in New Delhi in her sophomore year, have contributed to her open-minded personality and cultural outlooks. She utilized these experiences to learn and bring her knowledge back to Fordham.
After graduation Sarah hopes to work with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in a one year domestic program. As a Sociology and Theology double major with experience in low income home repair, she would be able to combine her two passions by working in youth ministry through JVC.
“I feel like it is exactly what I was meant to do,” she said. “I am so pumped to be able to work with the youth: they are like today’s angst, tomorrow’s future.”
As a senior looking back on her time at Fordham, it is hard for her to imagine a different experience.
“I have learned a lot because of the groups I’ve been a part of. The great professors, great friends, great classes and great clubs here at Fordham have made me more aware of my place in the world and in social justice,” said Champlin, “though I wish the tuition costed less.”
Other than the crazy amount of time she dedicates to her activities on campus, Sarah quotes her fun facts as being adopted and that she does not like mint. You can usually find her around campus wearing a scrunchy since it is a signature of her style.
