For Sara Swain, the old adage is true: mom knows best.
Swain came to CU Boulder originally majoring elementary education after working with the kindergarteners in her mother’s classroom at her childhood elementary school in Evergreen, Colorado, but she soon questioned if teaching was in her heart. Swain switched her major to Leadership and Community Engagement, because she never doubted her passion for social change, a thread connecting the two degree programs offered through the School of Education. It took a couple of years, but she was finally following the original advice of her mother.
“I should have listened to my mom since the beginning,” she said.
“Now into my senior year, I have absolutely fallen in love with my leadership major because of my incredible group of friends who were also my capstone team, the outstanding professors (Roudy, Ben, Sabrina), the work we got to do with the Righteous Rage Institute, and especially the space to tackle Whiteness and racism on a personal level rather than a theoretical level.”
Swain is part of an inaugural cohort of graduates of the Leadership and Community Engagement bachelor’s degree program, one of only 10 cutting-edge degree offerings nationwide. Designed to be paired with an additional major and attracting students on the forefront of social change, Swain’s leadership major is paired with a degree in Ethnic Studies and a minor in dance and Hip-hop certificate.
Now into my senior year, I have absolutely fallen in love with my leadership major because of my incredible group of friends who were also my capstone team, the outstanding professors (Roudy, Ben, Sabrina), the work we got to do with the Righteous Rage Institute, and especially the space to tackle Whiteness and racism on a personal level rather than a theoretical level."
“Sara is a different kind of activist,” said Roudy Hildreth, faculty director for the Leadership and Community Engagement (LDCE) degree program. “You will not see her on the stage making fiery speeches, rather she works in the background, following the lead of and supporting the vision of BIPOC activists and regular community members.
“Sara best exemplifies the values and commitments of the LDCE major. It advances a vision of leadership that focuses on working with others to build capacity and bring about social change.”
Her leadership and community engagement studies combined with coursework in ethnic studies have colored her relationship with and her passion for dance. Swain’s activism in Hip-hop aims to disrupt the pattern of majority white dancers profiting from black culture and to elevate the ways in which Hip-hop is a tool for racial healing. She has worked to transform her dance team, the Verve Collisionz Street Dance Team, from a group that formerly concentrated on performance to a group that pursues dance and critical race theory.
Swain’s mentors taught her that in Hip-hop, “‘hip’ is the way you think, and ‘hop’ is the way you move.” As Swain moves into her future, she said her many professors’ teachings are forever etched in her heart and mind as she continues to pursue work dedicated to social justice. She has even considered getting a tattoo commemorating her teachers as those who have come before and opened doors for her, she said.
“I cherish all the amazing professors I was able to learn from, and I will carry their wisdom, teachings, and advice with me for the rest of my life,” she added. “I do not take lightly the hard work and sacrifice/risk all of these mentors took so that I could be stepping into/creating a world that I love/desire."
In particular, something said by Rennie Harris, CU Boulder artist-in-residence and renowned Hip-hop dancer and scholar, helped closed the loop on the tension Swain has been experiencing amid her love of dance and Hip-hop: “movement is the last manifestation of reality.”
“This statement knocked me out of my chair,” she said. “I have had a struggling relationship with dance, but this statement has rebuilt the lens I approach dance forevermore. Dance can be spiritual, healing, affirming, cathartic, etc. and I, as a guest in Hip-hop culture, can appreciate and humbly tap into this gift.”
What does graduating from CU Boulder represent for you?
Dr. Rabaka (and I think he quotes his mother for this saying) says that the college certificate hanging on your wall after graduation is a receipt. It is there to hold you accountable. What am I going to do with this education after these four years of learning? It matters more what I do with this degree and less about the accomplishment of its completion. So what does graduating from CU Boulder mean to me? Well to me CU Boulder is where I met all my mentors. Graduating from here means that I need to do good work and continue to unlearn the Whitewashed narrative that I grew up knowing and believing. It is a reminder that I cannot let all my professors’ labor and love that they poured into me go to waste.”
Sara’s special thanks
I just want to thank my capstone team from the bottom of my heart. The six of them, Jessie, Erin, Matthew, Mercedes, Abby, and Jack, were the ones who nominated me for this award and I appreciate the love and kindness they give me everyday. They have seen me at my most vulnerable and uncertain and yet have always believed in me. They have taught me a lot about honesty, listening, leading with love, and letting go. I know they will all do world-shaking things.”
