Upon meeting Sarah, the first things that strike you are her wide smile and relaxed and humorous demeanor. But its her intricate knowledge of Latin and Central America that is truly impressive due to her background working in the human rights sector for many years. Both of us began our careers in journalism in our late 20s, beginning in areas that still influence our processes today, which led me to wonder about her transition from policy to reporting…

Many of the things that drew me to policy work, drew me to journalism: transparency, holding power to account, providing context around an issue people might not otherwise think about. I got pulled into policy because a side of me loves politics and data, but journalism allows me to satisfy my curiosity for the world and talk to people whose perspective I wouldn’t otherwise get.

I have always been drawn to people and fascinated by their stories – I love learning about why they do what they do and trying to understand who they are. A story that can be demonstrative of a larger trend can also be immensely powerful. It’s very different talking to a congressional office that appropriates defense funds about state forces killing protestors in Honduras than sitting in the house of a father whose son was just shot by the officers patrolling the neighborhood.