Student Profile

Name: Sara Liberator
Concentration: Somatic Psychology
Graduating Class: Fall 2008
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV.
I transferred to Naropa as a junior.

How did you find out about Naropa?

An ad in a magazine.

Plans after graduation:

I plan to re-learn Spanish. I will spend several months in South America doing an immersion language program and service work. I am considering graduate school after that. I plan to have a service-oriented career and am interested in working with various populations: young women with eating disorders and body-image issues, child prostitutes in rehabilitation, victims of sexual abuse, and/ or people with developmental disabilities.

The most challenging aspect of Naropa:

I’m not a Buddhist or an aspiring Buddhist. ... I think this is important to mention because there are a lot of assumptions made about what type of person is drawn to and attends Naropa. ... My hope is that a more diverse population of students will come to Naropa and challenge these assumptions.

What will you miss?

Being at a small school. I feel comfortable talking to the Psychology Department Chair, Susan Burggraf, and most of my professors. I can show up with my questions, concerns, and criticisms.

Classes and Activities:

Because I transferred in with 60 credits, I have very few electives. Most of my classes are required psychology classes, sprinkled with a few core requirements. I work in Boulder as a caregiver for a young woman with developmental disabilities. This relationship has enriched my life in ways I can scarcely begin to describe. I am also in a bike group called Family Ties. It’s not so easy to ride a bicycle in the snow, so the group looks more like a breakfast club in the winter months. ...

Why did you choose the Somatic Psychology concentration?

Before coming to Naropa, I had been teaching yoga for many years. I was interested in exploring other body-based healing modalities and gaining a scientific understanding of why movement is so powerful.

How has the Naropa Psychology program changed you?

In this program students are given the opportunity to do a lot of inner work. I have challenged myself to take this seriously. A lot of the classes are process oriented and I have become better at articulating my own inner experiences through this practice.

Favorite Naropa experience:

I took a class called Women and the Expansion of Democracy as a Humanities Core Requirement. The instructor, Sudarshan Kapur, was by far the finest teacher I have had in any institution of higher education (and I’ve been to several in the last ten years). That semester seven other women and I joined Sudarshan in creating an environment of academic rigor made sacred with a deep respect for women who have fought for freedom.