Sarah Jaklitsch L’26

Sarah graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in International Politics and a concentration in International Law. She also earned a Master’s in Education from Johns’ Hopkins University. 

After undergrad, she spent five years as a public high school teacher in Baltimore City, where she taught ESOL and History. As a teacher, Sarah witnessed and supported her students’ fight to obtain an education while navigating the complex, and often dehumanizing, U.S. immigration system. 

Her students’ experiences led Sarah to create a school-based group dedicated to securing pro bono legal assistance for immigrant students. The group was eventually successful in securing nonprofit partnerships to open a pro bono legal clinic, located within the school building, dedicated to providing free legal representation for students with asylum and SIJS cases. 

After five years of teaching, Sarah accepted a year-long fellowship to work on Capitol Hill. In Congress, Sarah worked on Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s legislative team, helping to write and analyze immigration and education policy devoted to providing wrap-around services for immigrant communities. 

Sarah is honored to be attending Penn Carey Law School as a Toll Scholar and eager to study immigration law. In her future career as a lawyer, she is committed to collaborating alongside migrant communities and across sectors to build systems that uplift the inherent dignity of all migrants by fighting for compassion and justice in immigration, education, housing, health, and more.