Sara Risko

Self-described “Renaissance man” Sara Risko has so many interests, at times it’s been challenging for her to prioritize her many passions. She enrolled at Western Connecticut State University in 2010 to study Music Education, but did not complete her degree. Instead, she became a career food service worker, a job she loved — until the 2020 pandemic created havoc in the restaurant industry.

“I was studying herbalism at a local herbal school and was really intrigued by diagnostics,” Risko said. “I started thinking about nutrition and public health, and how I wanted to learn more at the Institute for Holistic Health Studies at WestConn.”

A decade after her first foray as a student, she was offered a “fresh start” by the university’s Admissions Office, and re-enrolled as a Public Health major in the WCSU School of Professional Studies.

The following summer, when enrolled in a required course about “Ethical Issues in Healthcare,” Risko said she became enamored with thought experiments and case studies, which quickly led her to pursue a second major. “This instant passion for the evaluation and theory of just action combined with my deep affection toward the environment led me to pursue the two through an Interdisciplinary Studies program with concentrations in Theoretical & Applied Ethics and Sustainability,” she said.

“I found out about injustices with food in the U.S., especially for Native Americans,” Risko continued. “I decided I wanted a human rights and environmental rights-driven approach to nutrition and public health, and I have been able to do that at WestConn.”

Sara Risko at Wally’s Cupboard

Risko has worked to involve herself in campus life in ways that support the greater good of her peers. This involvement includes her service as secretary of the WCSU Health Promotion & Exercise Club (2021-22); as a volunteer and participant at Western Research Day (2022-24); as co-founder, vice president, and president of the Food as Medicine Club (2022-24); as an appointed student member of the university’s Diversity Council (2021-25); and as a member of the UndocuAlly Taskforce. Additionally, she has served as an Accessibility Services notetaker, peer mentor through the Pre-Collegiate and Access Programs, writing consultant in the Writing Center, content tutor in the Tutoring Resource Center, Hancock Leadership Program cohort member, WCSU Institute for Holistic Health Studies intern, and coordinator of the university’s food pantry, Wally’s Cupboard by SGA.

And while she has poured herself fully into all of these endeavors, her most recent university experience — a weeklong study-abroad opportunity at the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights at Oxford University in Oxford, UK — has fine-tuned her future goals even further.

“The Oxford Consortium is extremely competitive for students to attend,” Risko said. “There are a lot of interdisciplinary students, graduate students and law students there and they have a passion for advocacy and human rights. I met a lot of very cool people and it made me very hopeful. I’m grateful for the funding from the Provost’s Office that helped make this trip a reality.”

Risko attended the Oxford Consortium with two other WCSU students and Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Dr. Jessica Schofield. “Attending the Consortium made me decide that rather than pursuing a Master’s in Public Health and Ph.D. in Public Health, that I want to go to law school instead, in order to be more proactive in my advocacy,” Risko said. “A law degree will enable me to work in Applied Ethics.”

Sara Risko in England during the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights.

Another highlight of her trip to England was walking in the shadows of where some of Risko’s favorite authors once studied. It has inspired her to pursue another passion of hers — writing — by enrolling in WCSU’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative and Professional Writing program focusing on philosophical writing and cookbooks, as a slight detour on her way to law school.

While Risko has enjoyed the many varied paths her education and career have led her on, one unexpected change of direction has been life-changing for the nontraditional student, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer during her undergraduate studies.

“We hold a lot of stigmas about people in general,” Risko said. “I’m a nontraditional student and a young person with cancer. I try to talk about it a lot so people look at their own mortality and make sure they are taking care of themselves. People are more resilient than they think they are, and I have very supportive people in my life and that’s what’s most important.”

Risko does not intend to let her diagnosis slow her down. She said she will continue to volunteer at the university’s Food Pantry, Wally’s Cupboard, and anywhere she can improve food security for others. As a result of her efforts, she received numerous awards at WCSU. Among them: Outstanding Interdisciplinary Studies Major (2022), Institute for Holistic Health Studies (2023), Louise Kolb Award for Outstanding Service to the Writing Center, and second place at Western Research Day (2024). She will also receive the Provost’s Student Award for Academic Achievement and Resiliency at the 2025 Honors Convocation.

“While these accomplishments have been a great source of pride for me as I continue forward in my studies and pursuits to help others, perhaps my greatest accomplishment has been in continuing forward following my cancer diagnosis in the spring semester of 2023,” Risko said. “Since this time, I have learned to better prioritize my wellbeing while still dedicating much of my time to supporting and holding space for those around me.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.