Measures of Success: Sarah Henry

By Erin Hallissy

As a nationally ranked competitive figure skater and a member of the 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Scholastics Honors Team, Sarah Henry managed to combine sport and study as an adolescent, even though she missed a lot of school. Since enrolling at Saint Mary’s, the 20-year-old junior says she hasn’t cut a class. “I’m very driven. My No. 1 reason for being in college is to further my education. It’s really important to me to not waste it, to listen to every word my professors say.”

Her professors appreciate her zeal. “She is intellectually gifted,” says economics professor Kara Boatman, a mentor of Henry’s since freshman year. “She’s got a quiet confidence. She’s very respectful of her classmates and instructors. It’s a real privilege to teach her because you know she’s going to go far.”

How far? Henry, who’s from Anchorage, is pursuing a B.S. in economics with an accounting minor and is keeping her career options open. The recipient of a Francis Cullen Miller scholarship, Henry is active in the Business and Accounting Latino Association, which brings professionals to campus, and she’s had several internships.

During summers, she returns to Alaska and trains young skaters with her mother, Lisa, a longtime coach. “I love being around kids,” she says. Some College friends also ask her to teach them to skate; after all, how often do you get the chance to learn from someone who became friends with longtime U.S. women’s champion Michelle Kwan when they trained on the same Lake Arrowhead rink? Still, Henry says she didn’t develop her confidence on ice, but at Saint Mary’s. “I used to be very shy, especially in high school. I was very quiet. I didn’t know anybody. Now I’m a completely different person.”