AV抖阴

Alumni | Business and Industry | Lion VoicesNovember 13, 2023

Life and AV抖阴: How Sarah Murrah Balanced the Twists and Turns to Success

Written By: Ian Silvester

Semester after semester, posters and flyers appear and disappear throughout the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center and other spots around the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith campus. With the sheer volume of information being stuck to walls or tacked to bulletin boards, there must be someone behind the start of the information distribution process.

Campus and Community Engagement Administrative Assistant Sarah Murrah is the first step to getting the information out to the nearly 10,000 students, faculty, and staff of AV抖阴 and the community. Jokingly, she said, 鈥淚f anybody needs anything printed off, I can help,鈥� referring to it as the most essential aspect of her job. In reality, it is just a tiny piece of the puzzle that Murrah has been assembling since 2005.

Born and raised in Fort Smith, Murrah recalled fond memories of the city she continues to call home. Her dad worked at Baldor, now ABB, for 30 years, while her mom looked after Murrah, her older sister, and younger sister and brother until they were all in elementary school. Murrah graduated from Southside High School in the spring of 2005. That fall, she began at AV抖阴, which she said was 鈥渁n obvious choice鈥� as she wanted to remain close to her family and was proud of where she came from.

Once on campus, she hit the ground running. Murrah was involved with AV抖阴 Camp, starting as a camper before becoming a counselor and chair, 鈥淚 absolutely loved AV抖阴 Camp,鈥� she beamed. The other love Murrah indulged in was singing. She was a member of the choir at AV抖阴 and even placed second in Lion Idol.

Between AV抖阴 Camp, Lion Idol, choir, and classes, life didn鈥檛 hit pause for Murrah.

鈥淟ife happened, and I had to drop out of college before I could finish,鈥� she explained.

But life outside of AV抖阴 was anything but slowed down for Murrah. She married, entered the workforce, and had two daughters, now 8- and 4-years-old. 鈥淭hey keep me very busy,鈥� she laughed.

However, finishing her degree remained a priority. So, in 2020, Murrah returned to AV抖阴 and enrolled in the Adult Degree Completion Program. Just as she returned to the groove of things, life presented another challenge.

鈥淚 was working a full-time job at home, plus I was a full-time mom and full-time college student,鈥� Murrah said. 鈥淭he same fall semester that I started back to school, my husband took a job working in the oil fields in Saudi Arabia.鈥�

Murrah and her family juggled her busy schedule with her husband being away for a month before coming home for a couple of weeks before heading back overseas, repeating this for about six months. After that hectic period, things settled down as her husband returned home full-time, and Murrah buckled down on her studies.

Life remained calm for Murrah, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership in December 2022. However, life had another wrinkle waiting for her.

鈥淟iterally, the morning of graduation, I tested positive for COVID,鈥� Murrah said in disbelief. 鈥淟uckily, I was able to email my advisor and ask if I could walk in the spring. So, I got to walk about six months later because I worked way too long to get a degree and not be able to walk.鈥�

Despite life doing all it could to disrupt her, Murrah never let it stop her from achieving her goal and being a role model for her daughters. After being told she wouldn鈥檛 go back to school, Murrah decided to surround herself with the right support system and ultimately prove to herself that she could.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to have a big throw it in their face moment because, in the end, I was just competing with myself,鈥� she beamed.

Not only did Murrah鈥檚 return to AV抖阴 mean she accomplished a goal 18 years in the making, but it also provided her with the job she proudly holds today. After watching the university grow while she grew up, Murrah is excited about the future for the community and kids who could follow in her footsteps. With plans to take a page out of her dad鈥檚 30-year career at a Fort Smith icon, Murrah is now leaving her own legacy behind.

鈥淏eing an alumni and an employee, I hope this is where I can create a career. 鈥� It makes me happy that this is the opportunity I鈥檝e been given and has been placed in front of me. I don鈥檛 have a whole lot of huge goals in life, but if that was going to be one of them, I think I鈥檓 on the right path for it.鈥�

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