Sara Mortensen Exemplifies Hufflepuff Ideals

by Heather Linde

Originally written for Issue 10 of the W.A.N.D. in 2016

“Sara's a fantastic volunteer; (she’s) always willing to jump in and help on anything! Over the last year-ish, I've seen her blossom as a leader and project manager, and her eager spirit is such a blast to have on staff. Sara is a gem, and I feel lucky to have her here!”  Katie Bowers, Campaigns Director

“Sara has been doing a fantastic job keeping senior staff up to date with movements in mental health advocacy and legislation for many months now. Her work has increased our awareness of how mental health intersects with some of the most important issues of our time.” Matt Maggiacomo, Executive Director

These are just a few of the great things people have to say about Sara Mortensen, Fandom Forward’s Research Team Leader. She began as a Researcher for mental health awareness and advocacy, which includes sending regular reports to the Campaigns department and Senior Staff on current news and issues surrounding the subject. In addition to that position, she recently accepted the role of Research Team Lead, taking on managing the Research Team, keeping the team motivated and engaged, as well as contributing to the development of upcoming projects for the team.

Although Sara had known about Fandom Forward for a while, she really became aware its work after watching the Vlogbrothers in 2013. After attending LeakyCon in 2014, she engaged in the work Fandom Forward was doing by becoming a wizard activist. A few months later, she applied for a volunteer position; it was one of the best decisions she’s ever made, she says.

Sara’s favorite thing about being involved with Fandom Forward is the sense community and the value it puts on kindness, making it easy to interact with others involved in the organization. Even for someone who has a hard time in social situations, everything about it is a positive experience, and the fact that everyone has many of the same interests doesn’t hurt, either!

Because Sara is passionate about literacy and reading, Accio Books! is Sara’s favorite campaign. She enjoyed her work totaling the House Cup Points for this year’s campaign, and says what made the campaign extra special was that the books collected were sent to a school built by a Fandom Forward chapter in Uganda. 

When Sara’s not working on Fandom Forward research, she works as a research assistant for the Veterans Medical Research Foundation. She started with VMRF as an unpaid intern in 2014, and it became her a full-time muggle job after her college graduation.

This Hufflepuff enjoys reading, traveling, watching movies and YouTube, as well as eating pizza. Sara keeps everyone at Fandom Forward informed and up to date, as well as cheering others on to be their best selves, and we’re is so glad to have her on the squad.