Helping local children is what drives UVa-Wise graduate Sarah Hamilton

While enrolled in an introductory psychology course at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Sarah Hamilton knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the psychology field.

However, it was when Hamilton worked with young children at Kids Central, a local Head Start center, that she honed her career plans to a fine point.

“I really want to work with small children,” Hamilton says. “I worked with one child who had autism and had a hard time relating well to others . . . . I especially want to help children like that.”

A native of St. Paul, Hamilton will present the “Challenge to the Graduates” during Commencement Exercises at UVa-Wise on May 17.

After graduation, Hamilton will begin a master’s program in school counseling at Radford University. She plans to pursue a career in guidance counseling and hopes to earn a certificate in autism spectrum disorders.

“I hope to return to this region to work,” says the summa cum laude graduate. “There’s a large peak of autism diagnosed among children in our area, they’re not diagnosed early enough.”

Hamilton’s passion for the treatment and understanding of autism in children is nothing new in the classroom. For her senior capstone project, Hamilton studied autism spectrum disorders and presented her findings to her peers.

Volunteering and helping others is nothing new to Hamilton, either. As a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority at UVa-Wise, she and her sisters have raised money for the National Kidney Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House and have held breast cancer awareness walks.

“Before joining my sorority, I never realized how many fund raisers the Greek organizations hold at the College,” says Hamilton, who commuted from home to attend college during her freshman year.

When her sophomore year arrived, Hamilton decided to live on campus and joined a variety of organizations, including the Psi Chi honor society, the Darden Society, the Order of Omega honor society, the Gamma Sigma Alpha honor society, UVa-Wise Expedition and Baptist Collegiate Ministries, where she served as music leader.

“UVa-Wise has actually been more than I ever expected it to be,” Hamilton says. “I expected an education and a degree, of course, but I didn’t expect to meet so many people who have made such a lasting impact on my life – friends, professors, my sorority sisters, everyone.”

Hamilton especially appreciates her psychology advisor, Kristina Feeser, and psychology professors James Horton and Puiu Vasilescu. She also thanks the Office of Financial Aid and the donors who make scholarships possible.

“If it weren’t for financial aid and scholarships, I would leave here with so much debt,” Hamilton says. “I’m graduating debt-free, which is so rare for students at other schools to be able to say.”

Hamilton says the support of her family – her parents and her sister, Melissa Hamilton, a 2004 UVa-Wise graduate – also played a large role in her ability to graduate debt-free.

“During my time living on campus, my parents and sister helped me tremendously,” Hamilton says. “Being a student at UVa-Wise and living on campus gave me the experience I need to succeed in life.”

Posted May 5, 2008