Encouraging others and empowering them for success is a passion of Sara Attig, Unit 12 Family Life Educator. Sara works to facilitate meaningful workshops for the community and providing support in Livingston, McLean, and Woodford Counties. Before joining the Family Life team, Sara worked in the 4-H youth development where she developed creative programs where youth learn and achieve while having fun along the journey. Some of her favorite programs include 4-H Butterfly Adventures, Wizarding World Adventure Camp, Zombie Apocalypse Camp which focuses on disaster preparedness, and Cloverbuds.

Attig earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from Illinois State University and she has worked in Higher Education for most of her career, serving in a variety of roles including Associate Director of Honors at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. She also taught sociology at Heartland Community College in Normal and Pontiac, as well as Bradley University in Peoria. In addition to her work in Extension, she is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Heartland Community College and teaches various sociology courses, including her favorite Marriage and Family. 

Teaching and learning new things are at the heart of what Sara loves to do, both for Extension and for herself personally. In addition to recently taking up Tai Chi for programming efforts, learning to play the ukulele and hitting her yearly reading goal are on Sara's 2024 to do list. She also volunteers with the Illinois St. Bernard Rescue (ISBR) through transport and occasionally fosters animals waiting to find their forever homes. This group is close to Sara's heart as she adopted her two dogs, Briggs and Henry, through this organization. 
 

Professional Certifications

• Poverty Simulations
• Real Colors 
• Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention
• Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue

Professional Affiliations

• National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences 
• Illinois Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences
• Joint Council of Extension Professionals

Awards

University of Illinois Extension, Program Support Excellence Award, 2020
Illinois State University, University Distinguished Service Award, 2002