Loyalty is difficult to find in today's world. So many people are on-the-go and too busy to evaluate their lives deciding to whom or to what they wish to commit. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet one of the most loyal people left. Sara DeHart has dedicated her life to her family, friends, and God. DeHart's dedication proves that she is not like every other girl, but her kind, innocent heart and goal to keep others happy truly places DeHart above the rest. Sara is a friend anyone would be lucky to have.
Luckily, Sara has friended many people. Since her youth, she has become accustomed to bundling her life together and transporting all of it from one location to another. DeHart has occupied a wide variety of states including California, Ohio, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, and Virginia. Each location provided Sara with different opportunities and friendships, but she adapted to the assorted destinations quickly constructing friendships with the people around her. Sara told me she still keeps in touch with her old friends, but that did not surprise me.
It also didn't surprise me when Sara mentioned how close her family is. With her father in the military and her family moving all the time, Sara has truly bonded with her family. DeHart's eyes lit up when she began to speak of her strong relationships with her mother and father. Learning piano from her mom and hanging out with her dad, Sara couldn't imagine her life without either of them.
Amber, Sara's sister, laughed when I inquired about any stories she might have involving Sara. She divulged, “At five years old, Sara threw an enormous temper tantrum in the back of the car. She kept yelling that she wished she had perfect parents!” Sara may have wanted that when she was little, but clearly her relationship with her parents has solidified.
Despite typical sibling rivalry, Sara and Amber have a tight bond between themselves. With Sara's long blond hair and warm golden eyes, the relation between the girls is more than obvious. Amber, normally a quiet girl, opened up when speaking of Sara. She laughed, “Sara is so talkative! She's such a friendly, nice girl who's talented in math and science.” The two sisters regularly play violin together at their church which is one of Sara's favorite moments. The love and loyalty between the girls left me envious.
Playing violin with Amber is only one of the many activities Sara involves herself in at her church. Sara's parents raised her in Catholicism, and Sara cannot see herself following any other religion. Ever since 8th grade, DeHart has built an intense and admirable faith and dedication to her church. Sara's involvement with LifeTeen helped shape her connection with Catholicism. Every Sunday one can expect to see Sara faithfully attending mass. In fact, she spends a majority of her time helping out there, but Sara would never consider that time a chore or burden.
Julie Dale, Sara's confirmation sponsor, has known Sara before she was even born. Julie stressed that Sara is very loyal to whatever her interests are at the time. Helping DeHart with her decision to confirm her faith, Julie watched proudly as Sara took responsibility and fully devoted herself to her God and religion as well as to her family.
Now at Virginia Tech, Sara DeHart still attends services. She has met a lot of new friends and role models through her new church and school. DeHart knew even while living in Nevada that Virginia Tech had a wonderful reputation. “My dad wanted me to go to a research school, and I knew Tech was a really good university,” Sara explained. Tech accepted Sara as an engineering major which as most know can provide students with many challenges.
DeHart's father also pursued a career in astronomical and electrical engineering. Taking a step in her father's direction, Sara awaits excitedly to see what opportunities are out there for engineers. Her family and friends all see Sara growing into an incredibly successful engineer. “She's a really dedicated girl,” Julie Dale beamed. Dedication is exactly the word to describe Sara. Her ability to balance school, friends, and church will soon prove to be a huge asset during her college engineering career.
Other than engineering, Sara has always been interested in helping others. During high school, National Honor Society occupied much of Sara's time. She volunteered for many community service works and helped out with the multicultural club. “The club showed how cultures connected,” DeHart explained. She went on to describe a violin performance during which she played a solo of “The Circle of Life.” Sara admitted it as one of her best times in high school. She claimed it was exciting but very powerful as well. DeHart spent much of her time in high school helping out with NHS as well as the multicultural club; she wanted to spend her time giving to others, and community service work was one of the best ways she knew how.
While she is out of school, Sara enjoys working at the Recreational Center at the Multi Generational camp. While there, she works and plays with kids. DeHart always looks forward to her summers knowing she'll have a fun job during those months. “I really like kids,” Sara explained. Kids are just one more part of Sara's life with which people can see her doing well. Sara's sweet attitude and never-ending patience are perfect aspects of her personality to deal with children.
It seems Sara's work ethic is highly admirable, and she wants incoming freshmen to learn better study habits. Sara realizes that good study habits are key to being successful in college. Also, Sara wants to impress upon the next classes that they need to organize themselves to do well in school, but that it's also important to make new friends and branch out.
Friendships are one thing Sara has mastered down to a science. Between moving from place to place and changing from middle school to high school, Sara has always had to adapt to new environments. However, she now does this almost perfectly. Sara's dedication and loyalty to her old friends as well as her aspirations to make new ones is highly impressive. DeHart's wonderful family and amazing friends supporting her through her career in engineering and her life in the Catholic church leaves her with a constant smile. Sara DeHart deserves all that support, and she's bound to return all the loyalty and dedication right back.
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