Alumni Profile – Sarah Harrison

A love of geography while at school sparked a passion for learning about other cultures that has seen Sarah Harrison travel the globe ever since.

“Not all those who wander are lost”: JRR Tolkien

Since graduating in 2005, Sarah has worked in international development across Europe, the Pacific, Latin America and Africa, while sharing her adventures through a blog and Instagram account dubbed Sarita’s Wanderings (@saritaswanderings).

Sarah is currently living in Arusha, Tanzania, working as a manager for The School of St Jude, an educational charity set up by Australian woman Gemma Sisia. (Find out more at: www.schoolofstjude.org)

“St Jude’s provides a free, high quality education to poor and bright children from northern Tanzania, who, due to poverty and social pressures would otherwise be unlikely to complete their schooling,” Sarah said.

After leaving school, Sarah completed a Rotary Exchange to Austria for a year and learned German, before studying International Relations at ANU in Canberra (where she also learnt Spanish), followed by a Master of Development Studies at the University of Sydney.

She completed an internship at The Hague in the Netherlands and spent three years working for the World Bank in Sydney where she focused on health and education projects in the Pacific Islands, PNG and East Timor. Sarah then spent three years living in Guatemala working for a health clinic. She also recently completed a Masters of Public Health at the University of Newcastle.

“I have always loved travelling and learning about other cultures – it is my main passion in life,” she said. While
it was too difficult to nominate a favourite destination, Sarah said some of her top picks included India, Mexico and Colombia.

As a child, Sarah initially wanted to be a writer, then a journalist, then a diplomat or aid worker. “Now I work in international development and do writing and photography as a hobby, so I guess it’s kind of a combination of all of those,” she said.

When COVID-19 saw international borders close, Sarah decided to remain working in Tanzania, where she’ll stay until at least the end of 2021.

Her advice to today’s school leavers is not to worry if things don’t pan-out as planned. “Life and careers are not always linear. Everyone is on a different trajectory and success means whatever you want it to – don’t let others define what it should mean for you,” she said. “I’m a big advocate for a gap year – working, volunteering or travelling (or a combination) – it’s a great way to get some perspective before diving into anything.”