Celebrating Their Relationship, Celebrating Hartwick

“I grew up in Saratoga Springs and James grew up outside of Boston,” Sarah said, “Given those circumstances, if not for Hartwick, would we have found each other?”

“Most of my happiness around Hartwick circles around meeting Sarah,” said James. “We met in my freshman year, and a year later, I proposed to her.”

Their love story — and the careers they’ve achieved since their graduations — are why the happy couple support Hartwick’s Together, We Soar campaign.

“I can tie every job I’ve ever had to Hartwick,” said Sarah, a product manager at Studio Designer, where she works for CEO Keith Granet ’79. “As a student, I heard Thom Meredith ’73 say, ‘Everything good that ever happened to me in my life is because I went to Hartwick.’ That stuck with me, and it’s so true.”

James, now a project superintendent at Franco Construction, agreed. “Hartwick is an incredible community,” he said. “I felt supported as a student at Hartwick and continue to feel supported by the College community in my personal and professional life.”

Sarah and James, who got married in 2013, made a $15,000 unrestricted gift to the Together, We Soar campaign in hopes of giving the next generation of students the opportunity to partake in the same types of experiences they treasured.

“I felt like I could try anything at Hartwick,” said Sarah. “I still carry that with me in my daily life. My time at Hartwick gave me the courage and perspective to be bold and unafraid of failure.”

James and Sarah have remained close to Hartwick post-graduation. Currently, Sarah serves as the president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and James as an Alumni Board Associate. The couple gives their time and talent to support College initiatives from regional events in the Albany area to mentoring students on TrueBlue Connect.

Their generosity continues a tradition of giving that started soon after graduation. “Because of what we learned at Hartwick, we have been able to get to a point in our careers where we can support the College at a higher level,” said Sarah.

But they stress that giving is important — no matter where you are in your career. “Whether it’s $20 or $2,000, giving is about demonstrating that you believe in the future of Hartwick,” said Sarah.

James agreed. “For us, celebrating our relationship also means celebrating Hartwick,” he added.