Sarah Sinnott

Sarah Sinnott – sarah.sinnott@uconn.edu

Sarah Sinnott is a doctoral fellow working towards her PhD in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Special Education. She completed her undergraduate degrees at Susquehanna University where she graduated with a degree in English with a concentration in Secondary Education, in addition to a degree in Creative Writing. She is currently certified in English 7-12 in CT, and has completed her coursework to receive her cross-certification in Special Education as well.

Recently, she has completed her master’s degree in Special Education from Fairfield University. While she was completing her master’s degree, she worked the last few years as a general education English teacher at an alternative high school. This alternative program focused on preparing students for college and career readiness, used PBIS systems and strategies, and implemented an SEL curriculum. As a member of this team, she was able to help create and lead schoolwide career days and projects, collaborated with colleagues to implement PBIS with fidelity, and worked through multiple roles to help with the SEL curriculum across her time in this position.

This entire experience helped to shape her interest in research in this field after she had seen firsthand how these programs impacted her students’ lives. She loved being a part of such a collaborative team in this position, and this furthered her interest in pursuing a master’s in Special Education, and now, her PhD in the same field. During her time at the University of Connecticut, she is hoping to focus on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), in addition to focusing on how to prepare students for their transition to life after high school and the positive impact that social emotional learning (SEL) can have on many aspects of high school students’ lives. Upon completing her degree, she would love to join a faculty where she can continue to explore research opportunities in these fields, as well as share these particular areas of focus with future educators.