Sara Wasserteil

Sara Wasserteil has devoted herself to the most vulnerable communities in Chicago and the world. After spending much of her 20s abroad assisting refugees in Zambia and the Congo, helping expand agriculture and the private sector in Nigeria, and working on other civic projects in Ghana and Kenya, she brought that dedication to Chicago, where she consults on civic impact initiatives that improve lives. She has developed strategies for organizations to help keep at-risk youth in school, built a roadmap for the Cook County Public Defender to get people awaiting trial with mental health or substance abuse issues out of jail and into treatment, and much more.

Sara also has a habit of teaching and mentoring everywhere she goes, including about Judaism. In Africa, she brought Jewish holidays to her communities; in Chicago, through the Harris School of Public Policy, she mentors graduate students in her field and connects students to effective public sector leaders.

Age:

30

Primary gig:

Consultant, Civic Consulting Alliance

On the side:

Sister, improviser, soccer player and aspiring aviator

Relationship status:

Single

How do you give back?

I love growing people, so I am currently mentoring five graduate students interested in pursuing international development careers and serve as the founding director for the Practitioner's Council at the Center for Policy Entrepreneurship, which enables me to connect students to civic-minded leaders.

Something most people don’t know about me:

I spent several years abroad when I was in my 20s. In my first few months overseas, I had a driver who was a Neo Nazi. I don't think he'd ever met a Jew before. When I learned this, I started teaching him about Judaism, dispelling many of the falsehoods he'd believed his whole life. When I left a few days later, he no longer knew Jews as hateful, dangerous people. We exchanged information and stayed in touch for several years.

How do you Jew in Chicago?

I like to teach people of different backgrounds about Judaism. When I lived in Ghana, I led a Seder to teach my community about Jewish traditions; while in Zambia, I led a Chanukah celebration for my neighbors. Now that I'm in Chicago, I started integrating family history into holiday celebrations to help family and friends connect their own histories to Jewish stories and traditions.