Alumna Sara Champlain Pendleton earned her B.A. in English at Azusa Pacific University with an emphasis in writing in 2015. She was on the Dean’s List, was a member of Sigma Tau Delta, and was a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. She volunteered at the Homework House in Azusa mentoring young children and youth. During her undergraduate years, she got interested in the complexities of teaching writing in a composition class and worked in the university Writing Center as a Writing Consultant tutoring students and completing administrative duties. She also served as a copy editor for The Clause (APU’s publication), was a teacher’s aide to several English professors, and sang with the university Gospel Choir. Active in the literary life at APU, she performed pieces of poetry and other writing at Writers Read Open Mics and published in the university’s publication, The West Wind.
Ms. Pendleton continued her graduate education at APU and completed her M.A. in English in 2017. While in the M.A. program, she was chosen as an assistant editor to Christianity and Literature, the flagship journal in the field of religion and literature (sponsored by the Conference on Christianity and Literature). Her M.A. Thesis/Portfolio, “Hospitality: An Invitation to Write,” included original high-school curricula in rhetoric, creative nonfiction, and analytical writing. She implemented this curricula in her paid teaching job at Grace Brethren Schools, where she was hired during the final phase of her M.A. program. She continued working there, following graduation, for the next four years.
Noting that private schools often do not have resources provided in the public sector, she took the opportunity to remedy several areas of need once she was moved into the role of English Department Chair at Grace Brethren. Highlights of her accomplishments include her creating the first Writing Center in which she trained and staffed upper grade students. She also wrote the school’s first ever Style Guide for the school. Importantly, she wrote and implemented the school’s first English-as-a Second Language Curriculum and taught the school’s first offering of the course. These changes show her vision, creativity, and perseverance in providing new resources that greatly benefitted students and faculty at Grace Brethren.
Following graduation, she published several personal creative works as well as completing contract technical writing for FitBit and other businesses, either as the author or ghost writer. Sara's thesis became a chapter, "Creative Foundations: The Benefits of Prioritizing Creative Nonfiction in the Secondary Standards-Based Classroom," in the textbook, Imaginative Teaching Through Creative Writing (Bloomsbury Academic 2021).
In February, 2021, she transitioned into a technical writing position at Google, where she is enjoying a new career that draws upon her former technical writing experiences and educational background. We’re proud to nominate Ms. Pendleton, alumna of APU’s undergrad and graduate programs, for the CCCU Alumni Award and look forward to the continuing impact she’s making on those around her, whether in Christian or secular settings.
