- Stephanie Bricker
Student Life Editor
Sarah Henry is a sophomore double majoring in English and communications with a minor in philosophy. Her dream is to bring about social change in the sex trafficking industry with a coffee shop that empowers victims of this system. As an aspiring business owner, Henry hopes to use her studies in English, communication and philosophy at Messiah to empower her dreams of active social justice in the future.
What big dream do you have?
I want my photography business, Still Poetry Photography, to become a full-time enterprise, and I also want to someday open up a coffee shop that employs victims of sex trafficking.
Does that have anything to do with your major? How will you use your major?
Believe it or not, English has helped enormously with marketing. I can succinctly craft a powerful message that will stick with the growing following I have for my business’s Facebook page and website. The many readings also expose me to the core of humanity, which compels me towards these two very people-centered careers. Communication also plays a big part in running a business–it offers such a variety of classes, from basic video and editing to fundraising, which exposes me to a wealth of different applications of this single major. Philosophy has actually helped me conceive of a world different from our own; with these two businesses, I want to make an impact. Even if it’s only in my small corner of the universe, I will have done everything in my power to change a broken, but beautiful, world.
How long have you had this dream?
I’ve wanted to open up the coffee shop since the beginning of my first year here, while photography only became a part of my life a little over a year ago. I was inspired by a number of organizations I volunteered for, such as Amani Beads and Promise Place, to understand how the cycle of poverty and a deficit of social capital enslaves young women in this country. I’ve become very passionate about giving these amazing women with heartbreaking stories a chance to overcome, for and by themselves, the pitfalls life has put in their way.
I think I fell in love with photography for the very same reason that I am so compelled to a life of mission drawn out through capitalist ventures–I am in love with the beauty of humanity, and I love helping people see just how beautiful they really are.
What are your plans for making this dream come true?
I’ve already started the photography business, and I’m taking almost any client to expose myself to different types of photography. I’m looking to shoot some weddings with a local professional this summer. I also have an engagement session lined up, and I’m looking for as many opportunities as I can to just keep shooting! I’m actually starting as a barista at The Game Table, a local coffee shop here in Mechanicsburg, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m really trying to take advantages of the opportunities around me–they’re going to help affirm my convictions that these two dreams are what I should be pursuing for the rest of my life.