Partway through the first semester, the Bethany community was joined by new Admissions Director Sarah Kraybill Lind. Although moving her family back from New Hampshire is a big transition, Sarah is very excited about this new opportunity at Bethany.
Growing up in on a rural farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Sarah attended public school until 9th grade. Starting in high school Sarah transitioned to Lancaster Mennonite, and loved the change. The positive difference for her was the closer relationship between students and teachers that was possible at the smaller, private school. Sarah also had a lot of opportunities in high school as she enjoyed cross country running and being involved with theater productions. She also enjoyed writing on the school newspaper and did that for the entirety of her high school career.
After high school Sarah realized that most of her young life had been completely immersed in Mennonite culture. Her way of getting away for a year or so was to attend a small women’s college in Missouri, not affiliated with a specific denomination. She met lots of women with very different backgrounds, and in the course of the year became inspired to spend a year abroad- her dream being to study in Germany. However, knowing that Sarah wanted to get back into the Mennonite community she wanted to attend Goshen College, but also fit in a year abroad. Not wanting to start at a new college as a junior, she went to Goshen as a sophomore and spent her junior year in Germany. At Goshen College Sarah majored in English and German, and minored in teaching English as a second language. She also met her now-husband, Matthew Lind, at Goshen College, where he was studying business.
After college Sarah jumped right into teaching at ESL at Goshen Middle School and enjoyed that experience, but knew she would eventually want to pursue a Graduate degree. After years of considering what route to take in Grad school, she finally decided on pursuing Waldorf education, an alternative method to education that she learned about while studying in Germany. Sarah then had to find a school where she could get state certification and a masters degree in Waldorf education. She found this school in New Hampshire and lived out there with her family for the duration of her grad school.
And this was where Sarah Kraybill Lind and her family were at when she received a call from Bethany saying that the job in Admissions was open again. Sarah was excited about the job, and the opportunities that living in Goshen again would provide for their family. The Kraybill Lind’s also missed church life in the Mennonite community and family, with Matthew’s family living in Three Rivers, Michigan. Matthew is an organic farmer, and agrees that Goshen will be a great place for them to buy land and look at expanding where they can sell their specialty produce.
Sarah and Matthew have two young kids: Clara, in sixth grade and James in second. Sarah loves to knit, and enjoys this activity along with her daughter Clara. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys running, baking, and reading good science fiction and Young Adult fiction. She also enjoys thrift store shopping and being outside with her kids. On the move back to Goshen she says, “Even though the geography of New Hampshire is incredible and we loved it, we did miss the community in Goshen and we are really excited to be back.
Now that you know a bit more about Sarah Kraybill Lind, the new Admissions Director, stop in and say hello!
~Katie Hurst