The Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association (PGAA) will present its Young Alumni Leadership Award to Sara Hoover ’15 at the Alumni Award Celebration Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 1, as part of Blue & Gold Celebration 2022. Registration for the dinner is available here.
The PGAA Young Alumni Leadership Award, initiated in 2015, recognizes established and future leaders among Pitt-Greensburg’s young alumni who are age 35 and younger. The winners of this award have distinguished themselves as leaders among their peers and in their profession, community, and/or at the University.
Hoover, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Pennsylvania, works as an outpatient therapist to clients of all ages at the Family Counseling Center of Armstrong County (Leechburg, PA). She works with clients coming from underprivileged backgrounds and advocates for them in any way she can appropriately help them to get their mental health needs met. A certified clinical trauma professional (CCTP) and a nationally certified counselor (NCC), she specializes in working with victims of trauma. This past winter, she received a grant to participate in a 56-hour basic training program for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a specialized treatment approach for working through traumatic experiences in therapy.
Her interest in trauma therapy had its roots in her experiences as a psychology major at Pitt-Greensburg. A regular volunteer with the Blackburn Center (Greensburg, PA), she provided hotline counseling to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She also completed a semester-long internship at CASA of Westmoreland, an agency that provides advocates for children involved in the foster care system. By the time that she graduated summa cum laude from Pitt Greensburg, Hoover was passionate about helping those suffering from mental illness and/or trauma and made the decision to pursue a career as a trauma therapist.
While at Pitt-Greensburg she served as a research assistant to Russell E. Phillips III, PhD, associate professor of psychology, and as a teaching assistant to Jeffrey Everly, PhD, associate professor, for his research methods class.
In recognition of her passion and investment in the field of psychology, Hoover was awarded the Pitt-Greensburg’s Helen Connors Psychology Award and was named a University Scholar for graduating in the top two percent of the senior class. Active in multiple honor societies, she also served as president of the Active Minds Mental Health Club, twice earning “Member of the Year” awards for her leadership.
Hoover stays in touch with Pitt-Greensburg through her participation as a judge of the campus’ annual resume contest, which is a collaboration with the PGAA and the Office of Career Services.
After receiving her undergraduate degree, Hoover earned a master’s of arts degree in clinical mental health counseling from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She was selected a graduate assistant for the Department of Counseling, and worked closely with Professor Lorraine Guth on her research on group counseling efforts in Malawi, Africa. The two co-presented their research, “Enhancing Group Work Practice in Malawi: The Warm Heart of Africa,” at the 2016 Association for Specialist in Group Work National Conference.
She held an officer position in the CESA Club (Counselor Education Student Association) and was an active member of Chi Sigma Iota, the National Counseling Honor’s Society. Hoover continued to be distinguished as a leader within her graduate program, being recognized in 2016 with the George Spinelli Scholarship Award & again in 2017 with the Janet Fontaine Outstanding Student Award. Both achievements recognized Sara for her outstanding leadership and involvement within the Department of Counseling at IUP. She completed her graduate internship at the Community Guidance Center in Indiana, PA, providing therapy in outpatient and child/adolescent partial hospitalization settings, and graduated with her Master’s in August 2017. Following her graduation from IUP, Hoover worked as an outpatient therapist at SPHS in New Kensington, PA, offering individual and group counseling to those suffering from addiction & mental health issues.
About Pitt-Greensburg:
Founded in 1963, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg is a publicly assisted, four-year, liberal arts college in southwestern Pennsylvania. Pitt-Greensburg offers 31 baccalaureate degree programs, including new majors in data analytics, nursing, and healthcare management, as well as 30 minors and four certificate programs. With nearly 1,400 students, more than 10,000 alumni, and faculty and staff numbering 260, Pitt-Greensburg provides a vibrant, diverse community that is a dynamic model of a 21st-century liberal arts education. As part of the University of Pittsburgh system, Pitt-Greensburg offers the resources of a world-renowned university combined with the individualized and immersive experiences of a small liberal arts college. Creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit permeate the campus and extend into its many collaborative projects with the Westmoreland County community. Nestled in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Laurel Highlands, the campus is surrounded by the region’s outdoor recreation venues and rich history. It is a five-minute drive from uptown Greensburg and less than an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh.