Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Sara joined the United States Marine Corps out of high school in 1997 as an aviation airframes and systems mechanic on the UH-1N 'Huey' and AH-1W 'Super Cobra' helicopters on Camp Pendleton in California. During her years on active duty she received and maintained First Responders qualifications and a certificate in Environmental Compliance from California Statue University.
In 2009, after separating from active duty, she and her family moved to Jacksonville, North Carolina, where she became the owner of Frayed Knot Photography and Pixel 33 Media. Her documentation photography work on post-deployment reunions and homecomings within the military family is currently displayed in the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, greeting hundreds of thousands of museum visitors, helping them to better appreciate the sacrifices of our Marine and Navy families.
Her passion for environmental health led her towards video and photography documentary work that was key in identifying the damage done to Badin Lake by ALCOA, covering environmental pollution and damage, and human injuries, casualties, and ongoing medical problems caused by pollutants, in Albemarle NC, for the city of Albemarle and the White Oak-New River Riverkeepers. As a volunteer in the area she also shared her time and skills with Habitat for Humanity, participating in the building of more than 40 houses.
In 2015 she, her husband, and their five children moved back across the continent to settle in Mesa, Arizona. She enrolled in the Visual Communication Design program at Arizona State University and graduated four years later with a cumulative 4.2 GPA.
She is currently a graphic design consultant for The Luminosity Lab at Arizona State University and is also a faculty associate teaching Visual Communication Design classes at The Design School.
During her off time, she enjoys playing ice hockey, riding mountain bikes, and making sculptures with metal, stained glass, leather, and other media. She and her husband also work on vintage car restoration together, currently working on a 1956 International S-100 pickup truck.