Sarah Hansen

Sarah Hansen ’05 from Orem, wants everyone to know about epilepsy. Having personally struggled with the condition, Sarah is hoping to educate the public about its effects, complications, and ultimately, what it’s like for someone to live with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes recurring seizures – disturbances in the electrical activity in the brain. Some seizures are more severe than others, but all can be debilitating.

Three years ago Sarah attempted to cure her epilepsy with brain surgery. The procedure, combined with medication, proved successful and since then, Sarah has been seizure free. But the memory of her experience is far from gone. Her success has only driven her to promote understanding and help others.

"I have the courage and ability to make a difference,"she said. "And I feel a responsibility, to continue doing so."

At UVSC, Sarah gave several presentations to English and education classes as well as at various speaking engagements. Sarah also represented UVSC at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research in 2005 where she presented her paper titled, "Educating Educators About Epilepsy."

For her hard work and dedication to the cause, Sarah received UVSC’s Achievement of the Year award for 2003-04. She was also presented with the Utah Campus Compact Award for Outstanding Student Humanitarian in April 2005.

Hansen graduated with a degree in English Education in 2005. After graduation she taught at Payson High for a year and a half.

This year, Sarah gave a presentation on epilepsy at the Utah Early Childhood Conference. Sarah is now a mother and continues to advocate for epilepsy education.