Education is a family affair for Sarah Westerberg.
“My family enjoys learning,” says the 2001 Marriott School Executive MPA graduate. “We’re one of those ever-so-slightly geeky families that would have quizzes for fun and make up intellectual challenges at home. It has always been a part of my life.”
Now as BYU’s newly appointed associate dean of students, Westerberg is looking forward to putting her pursuit of education to good use.
“I love my window,” Westerberg says as she discusses the perks of her new position. “But even more, I love being involved in both big-picture and small-picture parts of education and campus life.”
Westerberg has seen firsthand the life-changing potential of learning. Both her parents and several of her siblings have also chosen to pursue careers in education. “It can lift people up,” she says. “It can provide opportunities and options in a way that not much else can.”
Before accepting her position as associate dean, Westerberg directed BYU’s Center for Service and Learning. “It was an opportunity to be an ambassador for BYU,” she recalls. “But the focus was always on the students and providing meaningful service for them.”
One of the greatest lessons Westerberg has learned is that service is not a one-size-fits-all commodity. When her husband was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, she watched as friends and neighbors reached out and found unique ways to show their support and concern.
“After all the struggles, we’re very blessed,” she says. “And I feel blessed to be here. I feel like I’m in the right place. BYU is a superb place to work.”
Being in the right place is what has opened so many doors for Westerberg. In England, she attended Oxford University and is now wrapping up her PhD in educational leadership and foundations at BYU.
With so much on her plate, Westerberg enjoys nothing better than spending time with her husband and two-year-old son. She also can’t wait to finish her PhD so she can spend a little more time pursuing her penchant for novel reading.
“I am like any good English woman,” she says with a smile. “I am obsessed with Jane Austen and read Pride and Prejudice at least once a year.”
