S arah Fix graduated from Konos Academy in Fayetteville with 30 other students. There weren’t any clubs or science labs.

Now she’s graduating Georgia College & State University with a biology major, chemistry minor and a foundation in pre-med mentoring. Fix hopes to become a pediatrician in a rural area.

“Frequently, I sit back and think about who I was freshman year, and it’s kind of crazy how much I’ve grown and changed,” Fix said. “I was very shy, and I think I’d never been given an environment where I could speak up and my opinion was valued.”

“I’m fortunate to have mentors, like Dr. Catrena Lisse and Beth Benson in admissions—those people helped guide me and nurture the power in my voice.”

Her original mentor was her mother, a social worker named Kelly Fix. Hoping to reciprocate her mentors’ values, Fix wanted to make sure she gave as much as she took from Milledgeville. 

It’s safe to say she succeeded.

As vice president of community service for Kappa Delta sorority, Fix organized food drives and fundraisers. Through that work, she also supported Prevent Child Abuse America, the Girl Scouts and The Bright House, a local childhood advocacy center.

One of her most impressive acts of service included raising $21,000 for the Milledgeville community at Georgia College’s first ever Fall Festival.

“I was just talking to my mom about how I feel more connected to Milledgeville than I do to my own hometown,” Fix said. “All the people here have come to mean so much to me.”

This spirit of service led Fix to volunteer for the Georgia College & State University Science Education Center. It quickly became one of her favorite places to serve.

Directed by chemistry professor Dr. Catrena Lisse, the center promotes access and participation in science by people of all ages and backgrounds.

“I love our STEM-ming shows with the Science Education Center, because we focus on the most rural and underserved schools in the area,” Fix said. “That might mean us loading into a van, driving to perform a science show and seeing kids who never get to engage in this experience.”

“There’s so much empowerment and opportunity that can come from education,” she said.

For the last year, Fix has interned at the center and organized many of these STEM-ming into the Community events with Lisse. They’ll go to any school to show off magic shows, explore stars with telescopes and give students hands-on experience with science.

From projects like mixing soap, shampoo or conditioner with small, random objects to taking the Medical College Admission Test and graduating with high marks.

Scientific curiosity inspired it all.
 
“When I look at Sarah, I see a role model for K-12 students as a woman in a STEM discipline not often seen in rural Middle Georgia,” Lisse said. “Sarah volunteers her time and resources to mentor community youth and expose them to science through our programs—she rocks!”

“Her enthusiasm toward learning and sharing knowledge is addictive,” she said, “especially with under-represented youth.”