University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumna Sarah Miller (‘16) has found the perfect combination between her passion for theater and love of working with nonprofits.

She currently manages Ron Robinson Theater, which is part of the Central Arkansas Library System’s (CALS) Main Library campus. There, she coordinates the theater’s many offerings of films, music performances, plays, readings, lectures, speakers, and children’s activities.

“I love the idea of organizations existing for the sole purpose of serving others,” Miller said. “I served a few different organizations through college. After I graduated, I realized the public sector was where my home was, where I felt most comfortable.”

Miller, a native of Arkadelphia, graduated from Henderson State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 2014. She learned to act and do technical work and discovered her passion for directing.

“I loved the creation aspect of it,” she said.

In 2015, she moved to Little Rock and enrolled in UA Little Rock’s Graduate School and completed her Master of Public Administration with a graduate certificate in nonprofit management in December 2016.

“UA Little Rock prepared me for nonprofit work in ways I didn’t even realize,” she said. “I understand responsibility in money management, how important a strategic mindset is, and most importantly, that it is ok to constantly be asking, ‘Why are we doing it this way?’ You either come away from the question with a better understanding of why that system is in place, or you get to be a part of a change that could make a meaningful impact. UA Little Rock really challenged me to constantly be thinking, researching, pushing for better ways to impact the most people.”

During her graduate studies, she began to understand the setbacks and hardships that nonprofits face, especially smaller ones.

“I thought there had to be more solutions out there,” she said, “and I aimed to find those solutions and one day become a resource for those nonprofits.”

Miller already is serving as that resource. In May 2017, she joined The Weekend Theater’s Board of Directors and also took on the volunteer position as the theater’s volunteer coordinator. The Weekend Theater is also a nonprofit and is run by volunteers.

When she’s not working or volunteering, she enjoys reading, hanging out with her beagle mix, Bron, and playing the ukulele, a hobby she picked up five years ago.

She also spends time volunteering for various youth organizations. For the past few years, she has worked with the Arkansas Young Playwrights Competition, which encourages high schoolers to write original plays for the chance to have their play staged. She also has volunteered for Y.E.S (Youth Entrepreneur Showcase) Arkansas, judging middle school students’ proposals for business start-ups.

“The whole purpose of volunteering is the chance to make this world a little better than how we found it,” she said. “That type of work brings you clarity and purpose. Any time someone tells me they are in a rut or struggling with a big decision, my advice is to put in some volunteer hours for a cause they care about. Volunteering almost always makes you feel better about your place in the world at the end of the day.”

Pictured top right is UA Little Rock graduate Sarah Miller who manages the Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theater and volunteers at The Weekend Theater.

Photo Credit: Lonnie Timmons III/ University Communications