Sara Lipka

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Sara Lipka graduated from Duke University in 2001 with majors in Spanish and cultural anthropology, as well as a certificate in Latin American studies. As an Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholar, she was the recipient of a full-tuition merit scholarship awarded to fifteen students annually. During her undergraduate years, she studied at New College, Oxford University, Oxford, England for a summer as a Lord Rothermere Scholar in Victorian literature; she also studied in Valparaíso, Chile, with the School for International Training and at the Universidad Católica Boliviana, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, in La Paz, Bolivia. Following her graduation, Sara conducted anthropological fieldwork in Santiago, Chile, as a Fulbright Fellow. Her topic was of study was “The Reinvention of Political Consciousness in Post-Dictatorship Chilean Theater.

Sara now works as a reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, writing news articles and feature stories, primarily in the areas of student affairs, athletics, and the arts.

While an undergraduate at Duke, Sara worked actively to promote study abroad opportunities and collaboration with international students through her role as president of the Student Study Abroad Committee. She was actively engaged in community service, too; her commitments included serving as a bilingual volunteer to a seasonal farm worker family, conducting informal English classes with Spanish-speaking children and adults through Student Action with Farm Workers, North Carolina Chapter of United Farm Workers. Sara is fluent in Spanish and speaks functional Portuguese and basic Quechua

» Read "Power of the Pen," Abroad View's article about Sarah's post-graduate career path.

Listen to an interview with Sara:

What sparked your interest in the Spanish language and culture?

Were you able to find an intersection between your different academic interests through studying abroad?

Please talk about the advantage of completely immersing yourself in your
host culture.

Why did you decide to apply for a Fulbright fellowship, and how did your School for International Training experience prepared you? What did your fellowship entail?

What specifically did you accomplish on your Fulbright, and what was the value of it?

How did you become interested in journalism?

How can students keep their study abroad experience alive once they’ve returned? How do you personally bring your international experience into your career and every day life?