People in your neighborhood: Sarah Naranjo

Teaching and education is vital to Sarah Naranjo. She has been active in higher education and in K-12 education for years.

Sarah has a bachelor's degree in sociology and German from the U and a master's degree in teaching from St. Thomas. She speaks fluent German and has studied abroad in Germany multiple times.

Her previous jobs include spending a summer in Alaska with an organization called Youthworks and working in the College of Continuing Education for 4-5 years. Most recently, Sarah worked in North St. Paul as a middle and high school German teacher.

"I really enjoyed teaching middle and high school German," Sarah said. "But I knew that I always wanted to come back to the U."

Two years ago, Sarah began working in One Stop Student Services as a counselor. She currently works in the West Bank location. She counsels students about financial aid, registration, and billing. "I really like working with students," she said. "We see a lot of the same students on West Bank so we can get to know the them a little bit."

And, even though many other people don't like drama, Sarah says she doesn't mind hearing about other people's personal problems. "I like listening to people and helping them through their issues."

Beyond her daily work tasks, Sarah is on the Tuition Refund Appeal committee and a new member of the Financial Literacy Committee.

"I'm excited to be able to use some of my creativity and presentation skills with the Financial Literacy committee," she said. "I can help students understand financial impacts of their decisions and develop skills to gain future financial success."

Originally from Owatonna, Sarah currently lives in Minneapolis, about a mile and a half from West Bank so she can bike to work. She lives with her husband of four years, Francisco, and their 2 ½ year old son, Andrew. She is also currently expecting her second child due on November 11.



In her spare time, Sarah enjoys being active outdoors. She loves camping and taking walks or bike rides.

Sarah is also pretty artsy. She loves to sing and go salsa dancing. In fact, she met her husband salsa dancing at First Avenue. She also enjoys cooking and doing art and crafts projects with her son.

Fun fact about Sarah: her last name means "orange tree" in Spanish.

Singen Sarah
1. Sarah is a landlord. She owns a duplex with her brother that they used to live in but now rent out.
2. Her favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption.
3. She loves the show 24.
4. If Sarah could have a superpower, she'd want to be Supermom.
5. Favorite type of music is salsa music, especially Bachata.
6. Her mom's food is her favorite food.
7. Sarah is very afraid of flying.
8. The last book she read was Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child.
9. Her first concert was The Monkees.
10. She couldn't live without good, healthy food and companionship.