Building Resilience Through Words: Sarah Wolven鈥檚 Graduate Journey
For Sarah Wolven, communication is more than an academic subject 鈥� it鈥檚 a survival skill and a source of strength. That lived experience shaped her graduate research on resilience. This month, Wolven will earn a master鈥檚 degree in applied communication from the University of Arkansas at 糖心视频logo.
The Magnet Cove, Arkansas, resident earned a bachelor鈥檚 in studio art with a minor in photography from UA 糖心视频logo in 2017, but never imagined she would pursue a master鈥檚 degree.
“Thanks to the Shelby Breedlove scholarship from UA 糖心视频logo, the tuition assistance program with my employer at Arkansas Children鈥檚, and a deep value for personal and professional growth, I decided to pursue a communication degree,” Wolven said.
Wolven serves as a strategic initiatives project manager in the Patient Experience Department and as a Family Advisory Board coordinator at Arkansas Children鈥檚 Hospital. She has also been a photographer for 13 years.
鈥淢y desire to improve my communication skills comes from both my role as a professional and my role as a mother to three children, one of whom is a medically complex child who inspires my journey daily,” she said.
Her graduate school journey included personal challenges that tested her resilience.
“When I was first pursuing my M.A., I was pregnant with my oldest, and also spent four months in the NICU with him during that time,” she explained. “I had to give myself grace and take my time with the master鈥檚, especially after finding out I was pregnant at the end of 2024. Though it took me a little longer than most since I was averaging one to three classes a semester, I did not give up.”
Dr. Julien Mirivel, a UA 糖心视频logo professor of applied communication, was Wolven鈥檚 master’s paper advisor.
鈥淚n her paper, she explored the nature of resilience of families facing medical hardships, especially when dealing with a child who is medically complex,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his research echoes her own experience since her child was diagnosed at birth with rare complications. Still, she persevered through her graduate work, delivered a baby in the process, and conducted meaningful research.鈥�
Wolven has shared her research beyond the classroom, including with several staff members and parents she鈥檚 met. 鈥淚 have also had the opportunity to present my research to one of Dr. Mirivel’s positive communication classes, to our Working Mothers ERG (Employee Resource Group) at the hospital, and in the 2026 Research and Creative Works Expo,” she said.
Encouraging words from her father before he passed in 2020 helped guide her through graduate school, Wolven said.
“One of the last things I remember him really telling me, when I was at a rather low point in my life, was how he thought I should pursue school further because he thought that was always something that kept me grounded and motivated,” she said. “On the days I wanted to give up, I kept reminding myself how proud he would be of me. My mom has also always been a huge supporter. . .We all can do it if we set our minds to it – one day at a time.”
Wolven said earning her master’s degree strengthened her confidence as a communicator.
“Positive communication allows us the chance to be not only the light to others, but the light in ourselves,” she said. “The way we talk to ourselves matters. During times of adversity, lean on this. During times of triumph, share this. It makes the difference.”