SARAH Andrino
Favorite Part of Job? My favorite part of my job is coaching my team and building relationships with Champlain College's external community. I get energy from sharing the College's vision and mission.
Favorite Vermont Escape: My favorite Vermont escape is Grand Isle. I have spent part of every summer of my life at my grandparents' camp on the islands.
Favorite Downtime Activity: Hiking year-round with my husband, daughter and dog.
Favorite Social Media: Instagram or Snapchat. Both are quick and easy ways to connect with friends.
What is the best career advice you have received? The best career advice I have received was from a mentor early in my career. She told me "You will be successful in your career and your job will give you great energy only if you are passionate about and believe in what you are doing."
Career Highlights: I have spent my career working in higher education, beginning at St. Lawrence University, then at Boston University, and in 2011 I moved to Vermont to become Director of Admissions at Champlain College. In my role in the enrollment division at Champlain I was part of a team that more than doubled the number of first-year student applications and increased the percentage of students from diverse backgrounds, students from low-income families and students from diverse geographic locations. Since having the opportunity to serve as Director of Institutional Advancement beginning in 2015, I have been fortunate to work with a group of colleagues to reimagine the alumni and parent relations engagement model on a national level. This newly created nation-wide programming has led to increased philanthropy towards the College and a larger number of interactions with alumni, parents and friends of the College.
Community Involvement: One of my favorite opportunities to be involved in the community has been serving as a mentor to Champlain students through our formal mentoring program during the past couple of years. In addition, I have been able to be on a few committees to design some local fundraising events- The Kelly Brush Foundation and the Lund 125th anniversary party.
Last year I joined Women's United, through the United Way of Northwestern Vermont. The council focuses on promoting women's financial stability in our community. We lead programming to raise awareness about the challenges that women in our community have and create opportunities to fundraise and provide resources for these individuals.