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Sarah Swanson: The smiling face of South Centers

(Editor’s Note: The following is the latest in a series of feature stories highlighting The Ohio State University South Centers Staff)

By Bradford Sherman
OSU South Centers

Whether it’s the UPS man, fellow employees, familiar faces, or complete strangers, they all have one thing in common when visiting the Research and Extension Building at The Ohio State University South Centers – they are always greeted with a smile and a friendly “hello.”

That is thanks to Sarah Swanson, a Program Assistant who every day staffs the front office as its first point of contact, and greets all comers with a friendly demeanor and helpful disposition.

Swanson has been the smiling face of South Centers, having always been stationed at her familiar spot next to the sliding glass windows, since joining the staff in November 2014. She provides support services to the aquaculture and soil and water teams, assists with running the equipment for the center’s weekly telecasts, updates many parts of the South Centers website, and provides graphics support for all program areas.

Swanson says she enjoys her job at South Centers because of the variety of people she gets to work with, and because every day is a unique challenge.

“The work is different every day,” she explained. “It never gets boring. One day it may be general administrative work, and the next I might get to tap into my creative side through working on video production and graphic design.

“It is also exciting that I get the opportunity to work alongside so many different kinds of talented people. Here at South Centers, we have people representing many different age groups, ethnicities, and are versed in many different professional disciplines.”
Swanson, who is originally from Chillicothe, earned Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio University – Chillicothe in 2012 and an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2014.

In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, especially hiking, and engaging in activities related to the arts such as listening to music and photography.

Swanson and her husband, Justin, reside in Chillicothe.