Campus Celebrity: Sarah Hostetler ’16

The Captain of the USS Tidal Wave takes time from her busy schedule to talk to us about life, liberty, and the pursuit of queso.

Name: Sarah Hostetler

Grade: Junior

Major: Public Health

Hometown: Newport Beach, CA

Besides #runningtheworld, what are you involved in at Tulane?

I am happily frazzled serving as the Chair of the Homecoming Committee and Captain of the USS Tidal Wave, the Vice President of Student Organizations on the Undergraduate Student Government, tripping over uneven concrete with GWA, ordering all the crawfish as Resource Chair for Crawfest, flying kites & wishing upon twin stars with Kappa Alpha Theta, and continuing to hang out with the most elite batch of Tulanians who I lead this summer during Greenie Camp. 

Rumor has it that homecoming this year will be the best yet, what are some things we can be looking for?

Somebody once told me about Tulane Homecoming/

We are the sharpest tools in the shed/

They were on McAlister with some stickers and donuts, in the shape of a wave on the pavement/

Well the events start coming and they don’t stop coming/

Keep up with all our posts and you’ll hit the ground runnin’/

Didn’t make sense not to make it the best one/

Your week will be busy but it’ll be fun./

So much to do. So much to see. /

So what’s wrong with going to everything? /

You never know if you don’t go./

You’ll never shine if you don’t vote(for the Homecoming Court at vote.tulane.edu this Tuesday and Wednesday [10/27 & 28])

Also, if you don’t like the Tulane University Homecoming Page you’ll be looking kind of dumb, with your finger and your thumb, in the shape of an L on your forehead.

Who is your Tulane role model?

Dr. Manuel Carballo is the man. He is a Tulane Law graduate and the current director of the International Center of Migration Health and Development, which is a program of the World Health Organization. He has the influence over the entire world just in his job description, but he treats every single person who works with him like his equal: no matter if that is the Director of the WHO or a lowly American intern who cannot even pronounce the word “water” in French. Not only does he have a resume that is incomprehensible in magnitude to every Public Health and IDEV student (possibly because it could be written in one of the 7 languages he is fluent in), but he is the most intriguing story teller that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. This summer, we would sit out on the deck of the ICMHD that overlooks the French Alps, open a bottle of aged Bordeaux with lunch, and listen to his life stories before heading back to work.

His most incredible story? Meeting his wife of over 30 years in Bruff. 

This is us in Geneva, Switzerland this summer:

In the homecoming ~~spirit~~, if you could be queen of anything what would you pick? 

Queen of Queso has a wonderful ring to it. My big and I have been on an official quest to find the best Queso dip in New Orleans. So far, Rum House is creaming the competition. 

What is your favorite thing about NOLA?

My favorite part about NOLA is how just plain jealous people get when I tell them I go to college in New Orleans. For the amount of #basics out there that think Tulane is in Boston or Houston, there are ten people who’s jaws drop when you tell them that you were able to purchase a gallon of daiquiris before 10am, be serenated by a bunch of boys, and make it to the Superdome by 2pm for the Superbowl; all of which were enhanced by the city’s open container laws and made for an unforgettable birthday weekend your freshman year. I love when people (particularly adults) turn their nose up a bit and say, “Oh Tulane, what do your parents think about Mardi Gras?” then slyly replying with, “You don’t even know,” and dropping the mic.

What (or who) is your spirit animal?

Dylan Hafer

What is your advice for freshman also looking to #runtheworld?

I know that you are all happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time and that this place is truly miserable and magical, but Tulane is so much more than #turntTU. You have four years to try to convince yourself that you’re having the best night ever while sardined against 300 of your sweatiest friends at the Palms. Grab your best friend and start taking walks around Audubon. You would be surprised at how deep you are to get with someone in that 1.75 mile loop and don’t stop on the days where it feels like just one loop is not enough. My best friend (@florence) and I currently hold the record with 4 loops and came out of that walk knowing exactly where we were going to live after sophomore year, what color futon we wanted to buy, where we were going to study abroad, and what kind of Subway sandwich that we wanted to buy from Subway at Loyola on our way back to Tulane.