Finalist
Sarah Baskin
Flagler College
Senior in Communications & Pre-Law
3.60 GPA
     A peek inside the planner of Sarah Baskin would probably cause anyone’s eyes to grow wide from the overwhelming list of activities she schedules each week. "I have learned that the best way to find success and satisfaction is by using my time and talent to accomplish goals that are truly worthwhile," says Baskin, 22.
     Baskin helped found the local Students In Free Enterprise chapter in November 1997 and now serves as president for a second term. As SIFE’s leader, Baskin not only presides over the weekly meetings, but she also creates and implements projects such as "Follow the Leader," which welcomes at-risk kids to the Flagler campus to job shadow employees.
     "With teamwork, persistence, and supportive advisors, our SIFE team has created three businesses–Flagler’s Legacy, a downtown retail shop; Legacy Tours; and The Ponce Shop, a student-run gift store," Baskin says. "We bring groups of school children into our stores to teach them the basics of starting and running a real business." Baskin says she lets the kids "try it out" because she believes that hands-on experience is the best way to learn.
     With SIFE, Baskin started the "Resume Workshop," where local business leaders come to the campus to critique students’ resumes and offer job interview advice. Another program, "The Cutting Edge," allows at-risk teen-agers to start their own retail business. Baskin also developed a weekly radio program for SIFE on the school’s radio station. In the program, local business people discuss their career failures and successes. "This is my favorite SIFE project," Baskin says. "’Radio Free Enterprise’ is so different from other radio shows. We make it very fun and entertaining while spreading really good messages to a vast audience."
     Baskin even joined forces with the Dole Food Company, Inc. to create "Bobby Banana Goes Global." This program lets SIFE teach special-needs children about the global marketplace and distribution channels. As if that weren’t enough to keep her planner jammed with dates, Baskin also started an educational game for more than 500 St. Augustine elementary school students on "Make A Difference Day." SIFE taught kids about geography through play. They used a blank 15-inch by 27-inch exterior wall to map out the United States, and the finished product became known as the "G-Ball Wall."
     Plus, Baskin teamed up with VISA to create "Staying Credit Worthy in a Plastic World." The program brings speakers and credit counselors to campus to teach about credit, loans, and investing. And for "Smoking Costs You," SIFE works with an after-school program for latch-key kids to teach them the health and economic impacts of smoking. "I know that our projects are more than just resume builders," Baskin says. "I know that I can be proud to ask someone else to get involved in our club."
     Rick Poland, director of Flagler College’s Pre-Law program, says that Baskin has "terrific" people skills and is one of the best students he’s had in eight years. "I think her peers recognize her leadership ability even more than the college administrators," he says. "She’s extremely well liked and again that relates to her remarkable skills in dealing with people." Poland says that Baskin was instrumental in the creation of SIFE and from that, she’s a role model of all role models. "She’s near perfect," he says. "My aspiration is that my own daughter would be something like Sarah."
     Using her "terrific" people skills, Baskin works as a disc jockey for WFCF Flagler College Radio. Besides gathering weather reports, she checks equipment, creates radio spots and public service announcements, and hosts a two-hour show.
     Baskin also finds time to assist with campus visits for prospective students as a student ambassador. Plus, she helps organize events for the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. She even squeezes in time to play the piano at the Bayview Nursing Home and at New Life Ministries. "What I enjoy most is seeing people’s reactions and knowing they are being entertained by my music," Baskin says.
     Caroline Dow, Flagler College’s chair of communications, says that Baskin achieves in and out of the classroom. "In the three classes that Sarah has taken from me, she has shown strong scholarship in her writing and research and strong leadership in the group projects," Dow says. "She doesn’t hog the spotlight, which is a very different style from those who are ‘me first’ and ‘I’m better.’"
     Also, Baskin serves as a mentor and teacher for Junior Achievement, a program that she helped bring to the county. "There wasn’t anything like it around here and where I grew up we had it," Baskin says. "I felt it made a difference for me, and I wanted to get kids off in the right direction here, too." For Junior Achievement, Baskin visits a local seventh-grade classroom every week to talk about leadership and personal finance. "I really love working with kids," she says. "But at first, it was hard to remember what seventh-graders are like – how everything is uncool to them. Once I changed the book format to more exciting methods of learning, such as role-playing games, they opened up to me."
     When she’s not busy helping the community’s youth, Baskin can probably be found playing either intramural volleyball or softball. Or perhaps, she’s in the Flagler College Writing Lab, where as a tutor she edits and revises her peer’s class work. Baskin says she likes working one-on-one with people because she says she gets a better response when she gives individual attention.
     Donna Webb, Flagler College’s director of Alumni and College Relations, says that Baskin is an "exceptional" young woman. "Sarah is a positive, pleasant, bright, and interesting student to work with," Webb says. "Her exceptional characteristics are apparent in her interaction with peers, professors, and other people in our community."
     In her off time, Baskin works part-time at the campus bookstore and full-time as the innkeeper of a local bed and breakfast, which provides her room and board. She also supports herself through grants and scholarships.
     "A leader needs to keep everyone in line while giving support, and I feel that I have done that for the most part," Baskin says. "I want people to remember me as someone who really cares about making a difference."
Contact Baskin at sarahbaskin@hotmail.com.