Sarah Frank Education Honoree

Sarah Frank is putting pen to paper to fight for education equality

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Being their escape

When 17-year-old Sarah Frank was in 1st grade, she fell in love with books. She realized the power of pen and paper and how stories offered the possibility of adventure for their readers. From there, Sarah decided to become a writer. “I wanted to do that for others, be their escape if they needed one,” she recalled. 

 “I wanted to do that for others, be their escape if they needed one.”

Reading wasn’t the only influence on Sarah’s education. Her desire to alleviate the inequities she saw within the school system drove her to make an impact and enact change in her community. “I go to a Title 1 school where kids with private tutors are pitted against kids who can’t afford textbooks,” she said. “Helping alleviate this inequity leaves me with an amazing feeling of knowing I’m doing my part.

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What you love and what you believe

Today, Sarah is the author of three books. She has penned two novels, One Chance and Two Secrets, and a picture book for kids with anxiety, Cloudy Days. Sarah is also the President and Founder of a nonprofit organization called Simple Studies that combats education inequity by providing students with free resources. She also leads a free, self-paced writing program.“Many students don’t have the resources to do well in school even if they want to,” she said. “Resources can be expensive, and some families and schools can’t afford it. Students with completely different educational experiences are being held to the same standard, and it’s not fair for them.”

“Many students don’t have the resources to do well in school even if they want to.”

As an exceptional Gen Z’er using her voice for good, Sarah was honored for her work as part of The ConversationaLIST in the Education category. In her work, Sarah combines words and actions to make a difference. “I practice what I preach: kindness, compassion, impact, and determination, she said.”

She encourages young people to find their voice by finding the intersection between what they love and what they believe. She found her voice by reading and coming to understand the power of words. “I was on an adventure in the books I read,” she said. “It was someone else’s words that took me there.” 

Sarah is currently a senior in high school and will start college in the fall. In five years, she hopes to be working toward an MFA in creative writing. “My goal in life is to find happiness for myself and others,” she said. “I feel fulfilled when I write, create change, or make connections.”

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Caring enough to act

Sarah resonates with The Conversationalist’s mission to amplify young voices. “Too often, the older generations look down on Gen Z, but as I’ve seen and experienced, we have an incredible capacity to make a change,” she said. 

She believes that a unified world is one without hatred, which encourages people to thrive and care about one another. “Connecting Gen Z is the first step to a unified world because Gen Z creates the future,” she explained. The most important step is not just caring but caring enough to act.”

 “When approaching conversations with someone I disagree with, I see it as an opportunity to broaden my perspective."

To break open her echo chamber, Sarah tries to make sure she is a part of diverse environments.“When approaching conversations with someone I disagree with, I see it as an opportunity to broaden my perspective or, at the very least, strengthen my counter-arguments.”

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Big snaps to Sarah Frank as she pursues a more educated and equitable world. Keep up with her on Instagram and follow SF Writing Programs to learn more about her work.

Come hang out with Sarah and all of our LIST honorees! Join us in Geneva and follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to stay up to date with all of our future events.