There are few things in life more rewarding than pursuing your passion and making a living out of it -- Anthropology professor Sarah Etheridge can attest to that.

After going through almost four full years of college, she realized that her initial choice -- political science -- wasn't encompassing everything she was passionate about (and capable of). With one semester left of her career, she decided to double-major in anthropology and poli sci -- a decision she's never regretted since.

Etheridge is currently a graduate student at Stanford, where she's studying advanced genetics. After acquiring her B.A. in Anthropology and Political Science at Texas A & M University, she went on to pursue an M.A. in Anthropology at Cal State Fullerton and eventually went on to hold a P.h.D in Public Health. With one glance at her educational background, anyone can see her love for anthropology led her towards a rewarding career.

"I always tell my students to pick something that they're passionate about as a career," she shares. "Money is not as important as happiness, and if you do what you love, you'll find a way to make the money work."

Etheridge leads her students by example -- she has a non-profit, Bright Water Foundation, that provides clean water education to developing countries. The organization is just one of how she encourages her students to care more about the world around them.

Here at COC, she teaches a few different anthropology classes, specifically at the 101 and 220 levels. Etheridge makes it a point to guide her students towards being more open-minded about the world around them, and she wants them to care about issues and want to enact change within the world.

On a personal note, she splits her time between volunteering and her home life, spending time with her boyfriend, and their six pets (she's an animal-lover in all senses of the word).

Her own goals for the future include visiting as many countries as possible -- London and Spain specifically have caught her eye.

She’s an avid reader and collector; as a fan of Harry Potter and Doctor Who, it’s not unlikely for her fandom knick-knacks to line the shelves of her home. On another note, she’s also a huge college football and NFL fan -- the Texas A & M Aggies and Denver Broncos hold a special place in her heart!

From the beginning of her educational career, Sarah Etheridge has combined her passion and profession to affect change within the world -- she is, in many ways, working to become the change she wants to see in the world and hopes that her students will, too.