Henry P. and M. Page Laughlin Educator Award
This award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions in the field of education. This award is named for Henry P. and M. Page Laughlin based on their commitment to education and Ursinus College.
2023 Recipient
Q&A with Sara Jacobson ’94
How is winning an Ursinus Alumni Award significant for you personally and professionally?
Ursinus is a special place and holds a special place in my heart. Some of the students I’ve taught at Temple Law were themselves Ursinus alumni. That makes this professional acknowledgment special to me. Winning this alumni award is significant to me personally, given the amazing award winners who preceded me, and given how much my time at Ursinus meant to me.
How did Ursinus College prepare you for a career as an educator?
At Ursinus, education wasn’t just professors talking at us. An Ursinus education was professors talking with students and asking us to think and to communicate our thoughts. Those skills – quick, critical thinking and clear, thoughtful communication – prepared me for the courtroom, and then to teach students how to think and communicate in courtrooms. I also hope that in the individual interactions I have, and in relationships I build with students, that I carry the best parts of Ursinus with me: professors who put students’ success first.
How have your Ursinus mentors shaped your role as a leader in your industry?
They haven’t really, but I hope that I can serve Ursinus students and young alumni I meet along the way.
What has been your proudest contribution to your professional community?
When I was on the full-time faculty at Temple Law, I educated and mentored scores of law students, but my proudest professional contribution is what I do now, teaching and training public defenders across Pennsylvania. Because PA’s public defenders are so underfunded, the training that my organization provides is the only training available to most of the state’s PDs. It’s a massive responsibility. I still do teach Law students, which is also important, but helping Pennsylvania’s public defenders be prepared to defend their clients well does more for the public good.
What was your proudest UC moment?
It’s hard to pick one moment in time. I made friendships at Ursinus that will last a lifetime, and every moment with them was meaningful: meeting my friend Joy in the library to bring her needed support, attending requisite advising sessions with my friend Jenn, house bonding activities. None of those were big moments, but they were all moments where we matured, and the foundations of our lifelong friendships were formed.
Previous Henry P. and M. Page Laughlin Educator Award recipients:
2019: S. Ross Doughty ’68
2018: Harriet Gould Metzgar ’68
2017: Laurie (Barilotti) DiRosa ’99
2016: Robert Hoffert ’62