‘Mayor of Tulane’ leaves her mark on campus organizations

Upon watching Tulane University’s admissions video, Sara White’s mom, Lynn, started to cry.

“It was the only admissions video that made her cry. She saw me here in New Orleans and at Tulane,” said White.

White graduates on May 20 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Communication. During her time at Tulane, she cemented her place as a campus leader by getting involved in a variety of organizations and campus events. Her roommates jokingly call her the “Mayor of Tulane.”

“If there’s ever any question about what’s going on on campus, I’ll let you know,” said White.

Originally from Miami, White was drawn to the sense of community she perceived at the school and joined several organizations. Joining the Tulane Equestrian team as a freshman was a vital part of her Tulane experience and allowed her to connect with upperclassmen right away. White also became a TIDES peer mentor after her freshman year.

“My mentor showed me what a successful Tulane student could look like, balancing school with extracurricular activities. It’s been incredible to see my mentees go through that process,” she said.

White is also a founding member of Tri Delta on campus, and as the director of philanthropy, helped organize a concert last spring that raised $12,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

She is the president of the Women in Politics organization, which offers a space for female-identifying people to meet and talk about politics. She also joined the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Group this year.

As her time at Tulane draws to a close, White is most proud to see these organizations flourish despite the difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic presented.

“It was a difficult time in terms of the organizations I was a part of. We wanted to be able to leave a solid foundation for the [under]classmen and have focused on rebuilding. But finally, I feel like my peers and I who are in leadership feel like we can safely pass on the baton to the next generation,” she said.

White is now looking forward to spending a year teaching English abroad in Madrid, Spain, before attending law school. Her dream is to specialize in entertainment and sports law.