Meet Trailblazer Sarah Roeder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Roeder.

Sarah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My career story really started after college. I chose a major that I really had no business choosing, but as a first-generation college student, I was just trying to ‘follow the right steps.’ After surfing the roads, chasing down adventures and working part-time jobs for six months, I literally woke up one day ready to find my real path.

I landed an administrative assistant job at a financial company. I put my head down and hustled. However, I was not cut out to be a desk jockey. It was not meaningful to me and, I was a C+ at best in that role. Lucky for me, someone took notice of all the other skills and assets I brought to the company and encouraged me to look into a brand new recruitment role. It was the career pivot I needed! As a Director of Recruitment, I loved it and I wasn’t half bad at it either! I could meet people, learn their stories and hopefully, help them find a career or understand their next steps. It allowed me to step into my own, polish my relationship skills and I had a lot of fun with it.

Within that role, I learned two things about myself:
1. I love people and I had a real soft spot every time I sat down with a starry (or lost) eyed potential intern. In a lot of ways, I saw myself in them and I wanted to do more to help.
2. My big old heart was yearning to be a part of education and make a significant change within it. I felt like the industry I was currently in was years behind in understanding inclusivity and diversity, so I felt that going into education, I could give young people the tools to be the agents of change and disruption.

I took a risk. I left my stable and decent paying role at the financial company and jumped on board with an educational non-profit organization. That role solidified I wanted to be in education and, it led to deeper relationships at Colorado State University. I then knew that THE dream career stop for me was going to be working in career services at CSU- I also thought the people were righteous! A year and a half later, I interviewed and landed a role within the Career Center. It was a huge win for me: I was going to get paid to do EXACTLY what I wanted, all before turning 30. Did I mention I applied to CSU five times before that for different roles? Lesson: Don’t give up- also, vision boards!

Has it been a smooth road?
Ha, anything but smooth! But, the best views usually require the bumpiest trails to the top.

When I look back at the doors slammed in my face or nights going home in tears, it was well worth it. A significant trial for me was when I started to work at the financial company. I was in a serious relationship, and one night, I was sharing my ambitious dreams for where this road would lead, that I was going to need to dedicate time to build out my career and that I would be shifting gears from the college nighttime lifestyle to do so. I was simply excited for the journey and thought they would be too! It was right afterwards that I was dumped- apparently, this person did not believe I would reach my goals or at least, wasn’t interested in the journey.

I share that story because it was an emotional and mental turning point for me. I was a young woman and thought “They must be right! I’m going to fail!” Society asks women to always seek others for advice, but, it’s important to believe in yourself and live your truth. People who are scared to see you succeed are more often than not projecting their own insecurities. Instead, cultivate fellow climbers who are looking to reach the same heights you are. They will cheer you on and hold you accountable. Believe me when I say that it isn’t a perfect ladder of succinct jobs or moments to get to where you are going, and that’s okay. So, keep climbing girl, the view is worth it.

We’d love to hear more about Colorado State University.
I have been at the Colorado State University Career Center for almost three years. I started out as the Employer Connections Coordinator and then, at eight months pregnant (you read that correctly), I interviewed and was promoted to the Associate Director of Student Employment and Employer Connections. In a nutshell, I specialize in asking lots of questions and connecting people to help solve large or complex issues.

My mission in this role is to further create equal access to post-graduation opportunities and use campus employment as the vehicle to reach that destination. We have roughly 8,000 student workers on CSU’s campus and they no doubt keep our university running- they are an essential part of our campus. Majority of these students work because they NEED to make a living to support themselves while attending CSU. My team and I believe that these students should be able to gain essential career skills that will set them apart from others. Just because they need to work while in school, it should not be a roadblock to gaining essential skills that top tier internships would provide.

So- how can we provide internship quality campus work experiences for these students? How do we help them be better prepared once they leave us? How do we take stock of good practices already happening across campus and apply them? How can campus employment be another positive attributing factor to ensure our students who need the most support to graduate, get it? See, I ask a lot of questions!

This means we are working on more robust training, facilitating better inter-connections and evaluating programming that is offered to student employees, as well as offering better communication to student supervisors, so they can develop their students in the best way possible.

As someone who was a first generation multi-racial student who came from a lower socio-economic background, I have a deep desire to serve the historically marginalized populations on our campus; so that they not only graduate from CSU but walk away with confidence in their skills and resilient for the world of work. Giving these students an opportunity to be empowered will grant them agency in how they want to play or change the game. It will make a measurable impact in their lives, their families lives and our communities. Doing this work is what sets my team and me apart from others.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I am obsessed with personal growth and I could probably leave you with a large list. I have a few top favorites:

I highly recommend ‘How To Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie. I confess that it is a cheesy title but, in our digital age, there are common human interaction lessons in the book that I believe have been neglected. I believe mastering the skills in this book will set you apart from others- I feel like it did that for me! I also love the books “I Think You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb and “Life is Good, The Book” by Bert Jacobs. Both books build stronger empathy for yourself and others, allowing you to focus on meaningful work.

I also love podcasts! Some of my top favorites are: How I Built This, Joe Rogan Experience and The Daily by the New York Times.

Last- my family is the ultimate! They always make sure that I live my best life. I am married to my partner Greg of four years who is the most supportive, driven and kind human being I have ever met. Our two kiddos, Nolan and Aida teach me to live in the present, laugh, and believe in what is possible. We also have a rescue pup named Reagan who is the resident therapist for the whole family. My mom and dad also supported every stubborn and ambitious goal I had, which says a lot. Everything I do is for my family and to make them proud.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://career.colostate.edu/team-members/sarah-roeder/
• Email: sarah.a.roeder@gmail.com
• Instagram: @sarah_ajr
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraharoeder/

Image Credit:
Cassie Rosch, Photographer, Sarah Roeder

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