Hannah Sarafinas, class of 2020, is flourishing as a school counselor four years post-graduation. Sarafinas began her Penn State journey at Brandywine in 2016, majoring in human development and family studies, minoring in civic and community engagement, and receiving a certificate in youth development and social justice.
MEDIA, Pa. — Hannah Sarafinas, class of 2020, is flourishing as a school counselor four years post-graduation.
Sarafinas began her Penn State journey at Brandywine in 2016, majoring in human development and family studies, minoring in civic and community engagement, and receiving a certificate in youth development and social justice. She said she chose to attend Brandywine because of how much she enjoyed the environment on her first tour.
“An admissions counselor from Brandywine came to my high school and spoke about how the campus was a community. His pitch to the high school students was really one of the driving factors of me wanting to go to Penn State,” she said.
“I went to take a tour of the campus on a snowy day, and as soon as I walked into the gym and saw a basketball game going on, I knew at that moment this was where I wanted to be. I was quickly greeted by Bobbi Caprice, the director of athletics, and she made me feel so at home and I knew this was going to be my school for the next four years.”
Sarafinas was very involved during her time at Brandywine, as she was a middle blocker on Brandywine’s volleyball team, served as a global ambassador, and helped found a club called “BWine Promotions,” which was an athletics club to promote athletic events on campus. She recalls her time as a global ambassador and studying abroad as one of her favorite memories at Brandywine.
“Through Global Programs, I was able to go to Sicily, Malta, Ireland and Spain. One of my favorite experiences from that trip was celebrating New Year’s in Barcelona. It was such a cool trip,” she said.
“Another one of my favorite memories was getting to attend college with my younger brother (Ben). We had two years together and we were known as the Sarafinas Duo since we both played sports here and were a well-known sibling pair at Brandywine. Just having that opportunity to be at Penn State with my younger brother and being able to travel together and participate in athletics together was one of the best memories I made.”
Upon graduating from Brandywine, Sarafinas attended West Chester University to earn her master’s degree in school counseling. From there, she worked as a school counselor in Tallahassee, Florida, for a year before moving back up to Pennsylvania to work in her current role as a school counselor in the Oxford Area School District.
In her role, she is a school counselor for fifth- and sixth-grade students in person and ninth- through 12th-grade students virtually. Next year, she will be a fully virtual school counselor for students in kindergarten through 12th grade for the district’s virtual academy.
“I really wanted to work at a school that was close to home. I lived in Tallahassee last school year while my fiancé was finishing school. We wanted to move, but we didn’t know where or at what time,” she explained. “He ended up getting a job in Malvern, which is 20 minutes from our hometown. We originally had no plans to come back to Pennsylvania, but since we were back, I wanted a school district that I was familiar with and was going to help me learn.”
Sarafinas noted that her favorite part of her job is the people she works with on a daily basis.
“I love the students I work with, both in person and virtually. I love the staff I’ve gotten to know over the school year, and my administration has been amazing,” she said.
“I had a very hard first year of school counseling last year when I was in Tallahassee. It really led me to feel burnout and made me question my career path. Coming into the district I’m in now, this school year has been so successful for me. I’ve really adapted to the point where I see myself within the school district for a long time.”
If you have something you want to do, just do it, because at Penn State Brandywine, you have all the support to do it.—Hannah Sarafinas , class of 2020
When asked what advice she would give to Penn State students, Sarafinas said to get involved as much as possible and make the most of your college experience.
“Get involved as much as you can, and definitely travel the world if you have the opportunity. There are so many scholarships that can be provided — that’s how I was able to travel as much as I did,” she said. “Also, put yourself out there. When I started BWine Promotions, I had the help of Bobbi Caprice. If you have something you want to do, just do it, because at Penn State Brandywine, you have all the support to do it.”
