My name is Sarah Engelgau, and I am originally from Portland, but moved to Klamath Falls at a young age. I have worked in higher education for ten years, between Oregon Tech and Klamath Community College. My roles have been in office management, student advising, program coordination, and navigation. I have a true passion for student services and assisting students to reach their goals and being a part of their educational journey.
I completed my bachelor’s at Southern Oregon University while working full-time at Oregon Tech. Although it was tough to work full-time and attend school full-time, I had excellent support, and my colleagues showed the student support I needed in order to be successful. My experience is what drew me to continue my career in education and reinforced my belief in the importance of accessible, compassionate student support.
During some of my free time, I try to actively help with my daughters’ schoolwork. It’s a private school, which means they are not receiving the same funding as a traditional public school. So, I have volunteered to help with different marketing in fundraising events, or just “refreshing” their image on specific programs. I have helped write different grants to assist with projects at their school. One of my proudest contributions was helping write and secure a $250,000 grant to support the school’s renovation and expansion. It was a rewarding experience that allowed me to apply my skills in a meaningful way and make a lasting impact on our school community.
My husband and I became parents at a young age–just 17, the summer before our senior year of high school. Our oldest daughter is now 17 herself and entering her senior year. We have been actively exploring college options with her, and she just submitted her first application last Friday, which feels surreal. Our youngest daughter is 6 years old and is getting ready to start first grade. She is very active in the world of dance and baseball. Family is everything to me, and we cherish the time we spend together. Whether it’s going to sports games, planning weekend adventures, being outdoors, or simply enjoying quiet moments at home, we’ve built a strong and loving bond.
During free time, I love photography, which includes portrait and landscape photo opportunities. I am currently getting ready to take my daughter to take her senior photos. Also, I am a DIYer, and our recent projects have been building a new deck, a treehouse for our youngest daughter, and a swing set. These kinds of hands-on activities allow me to express my creativity while making our home more fun and functional for our family.
I love to travel, and we camp often. We have been fortunate enough to be able to purchase a small camper this last spring to expand our months of adventuring. Tent camping makes it so limited on how long you can camp before the weather gets unpredictable. I spend as much time as I can with my older sister, who lives in Portland, but we still manage to see each other often. We recently hiked Goats Rock in Washington a couple of weekends ago, and it was an awesome experience.
My future goal is to eventually teach business courses at a high school or college level, continuing my mission to empower and inspire students. I would like to continue helping non-profits as much as I can, especially those in my community. Whether it’s to help write more grants or expand marketing efforts. Also, to use my skills and passion to make services more visually accessible to students. I am committed to making a positive impact wherever I can.
Hi Sarah! What a great time!
Your photos are beautiful. I especially love your family portrait!
Congratulations on securing the grant for your daughter’s school. How rewarding to be able to use your skills to help a cause so close to your community.
Sarah,
Your photography work is stunning and adds a compelling visual element to the site, making it a distinctive part of your brand. I especially like the homepage photograph; that view is all-encompassing.
Your writing style is very approachable and a great addition to your blog, as was the flow and order of the text. A couple of suggestions I have include adding headers to format the text more and help break it up visually (Turner, 2020). Another is to add mega tags for search engine optimization (U.S. General Services Administration, n.d.). Both the headers and the tags will also help make the site more accessible (Expert Panel, 2025). I know that is one of your goals.
I was confused while reading your post until I realized there was repeated block text about traveling around the kayak picture. Another light edit is to change the header on the blog page. I think it may be the default for pages. It currently reads “sample page.”
Caring people work in student services and have such an impact on the lives of students and their families. It is one of the reasons I love working in higher education. I can see why teaching would be a natural fit and something you are interested in.
Thanks for the helpful input about the upcoming accounting course I will be taking. So far, everyone indicates it is difficult but that it can be managed.
Anne
References
Expert Panel. (2025, February 3). How To Optimize A Website’s UX For Real People. Forbes.com. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2025/02/03/how-to-optimize-a-websites-ux-for-real-people/
Turner, J. (2020, August 6). Four simple tips for writing effective blog posts. Forbes.com. https://www.forbes.com/councils/theyec/2020/08/06/four-simple-tips-for-writing-effective-blog-posts/
U.S. General Services Administration. (n.d.). Introduction to structured content. Digital.gov. https://digital.gov/resources/an-introduction-to-structured-content