Educational Background:
M.A.E. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 2013
B.A. in Communication Studies from Samford University, Birmingham, AL 2010
Experience in Higher Education:
I have worked in higher education for almost 5 years. Most of my career has been spent in Residence Life serving as a Residence Director at Western Kentucky University. While at WKU, I worked with a variety of populations, including overseeing the sorority hall for two years. In January 2015, I left WKU to join the Belmont community as the Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Leadership Development. In this position, I currently advise Greek Life and the H.O.P.E. Council.
Meet Sarah Rigsby...
Something Fun About Me:
As strange as it might sound, my dream job would be to produce and direct Greek Sing/Step Sing shows for colleges. My favorite part of Greek Life at Belmont this year was Greek Sing. While at Samford, I was highly involved in directing, choreographing and helping produce the music for my chapter’s Step Sing show. I loved having the opportunity to use my musical background and my creative side to help produce a product like a Step Sing show. Seriously, it should be a real job.
Although I was involved in various activities and leadership roles in college, I truly believe that being involved in my sorority is what shaped me the most as a person and a leader. The bonds that I made with my sisters are still there today and they were the people that I knew I could count on when I went through struggles in college. Through our philanthropic efforts, I learned the importance of serving others and giving back to the community whenever I get the opportunity to give back. I didn’t serve as president or even on the executive council of my sorority, but I was involved in a lot of decision making processes for the chapter and those opportunities challenged me and taught me skills that I use today in my job. I am never going to say that Greek Life is for everyone, because I don’t believe it is for every student. Being Greek means making a commitment to your sisters and to your sororities’ values and beliefs. It means staying engaged, giving back to the community and working hard in the classroom. Being Greek is hard work, but it is completely worth the intangible experiences and incredible relationships that are made within your chapter and in the Greek community. I hope that you will consider learning more about our amazing Greek community at Belmont by going through recruitment in the fall.
Why I believe you should go through recruitment
Why I chose to pursue a career in higher education
While at Samford, I was the typical overly involved student who served in a variety of leadership roles. I was active in Greek Life, Residence Life, Admissions, Student Judiciary Council, and served as an ambassador for the Communication Studies program. During my senior year, my hall director pointed out to me that everything I was involved in was Student Affairs and that I could actually pursue a career in Student Affairs. I couldn’t get that conversation out of my head for weeks, so I started praying about whether or not Student Affairs was the path for me. Shortly after that, I was accepted into graduate school for higher education and received my first professional position in the field. This field challenges me daily and it is not always easy, but I love serving college students and helping them develop during these transformative years in college.
