2023 Graduation Stories: Sarah Petry

What “peaks” the interest of a public policy PhD student, who (1) studied at one of the most respected scientific research schools (2) grew into a role as teacher upon receiving a Bass Fellowship (3) co-authored multiple works in periodicals such as the Public Administration Review and the Journal of Aging & Social Policy ...

... oh, and helped conceive a peer mentorship program — by way of the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — right here, at the Sanford School of Public Policy?

Rock climbing, duh.

Meet Sarah Petry. She’s a graduating PhD candidate in public policy with a concentration in sociology. She has a cat she claims is her most treasured possession named Rosie Cotton, a tribute to her LOTR fandom. She can mentor undergraduates and do the splits. She says words like “uncomfy” and writes about bereavement policy. She quotes individuals like Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and reads science fiction novels with characters who are named Princess Floralinda.

Sarah is a PhD candidate in public policy — and so much more. When asked what her motto is in life, she responded,

“It’s all gonna be okay, everything is gonna work out… [I] started telling myself this during my first year of grad school — sometimes it was true, sometimes not so much. But you know what? It all worked out!”

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