Dr. Sara Jahansouz Wray
Dr. Sara Jahansouz Wray
Dr. Sara Jahansouz Wray is the ultimate recovering perfectionist! She has spent over half of her life on college campuses, which provides a keen insight and unique perspective on the challenges facing today’s college students. Her social media presence went viral when she transitioned from blogging about fashion to sharing her recovery journey from alcohol and prescription pills. Dr. Wray has shared her experience, strength, and hope with countless audiences seeking guidance on ways to cope with life that don’t involve a handful of pills or bottles of wine.
Dr. Sara Jahansouz Wray is the ultimate recovering perfectionist! She has spent over half of her life on college campuses, which provides a keen insight and unique perspective on the challenges facing today’s college students. Her social media presence went viral when she transitioned from blogging about fashion to sharing her recovery journey from alcohol and prescription pills. Dr. Wray has shared her experience, strength, and hope with countless audiences seeking guidance on ways to cope with life that don’t involve a handful of pills or bottles of wine.
Dr. Wray earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Lifesciences from Kansas State University, a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University, a Master’s Degree in Emergency and Crisis Management from University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and a Doctorate in Learning and Leadership from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dr. Wray’s dissertation, Female Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Their Engagement in an Experiential Learning Activity, has been utilized as a leading resource in understanding undergraduate engagement in the panhellenic sorority recruitment process. Dr. Wray’s research interests include emotional intelligence, recovery, and college student persistence.
Dr. Wray’s proudest role in life is that of wife and mother. Her husband, Mike, and children, Rory Rose and Shepherd reside in Sugar Land, TX. Her family enjoys making memories through travel and time spent with friends.
PROGRAMS
Recovering From Perfection
Keynote | Workshop
“The epitome of success.”
That’s how most would describe Dr. Sara Jahansouz Wray. She is high achieving in both her personal and professional life, holds a doctorate, has risen to the highest levels of her career, and carries herself with poise and confidence.
She is what many aspire to be.
But there’s more to the story; while developing the perfect persona, Sara was also hiding her struggles with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and addiction. She became skilled at presenting the “perfect” image to her friends, family, and colleagues but, the process of doing so almost cost her life.
In this gripping program, she shares her story in a vulnerable and passionate way in order to inspire audiences to accept a core truth:
You are enough, just as you are.
Audience members will…
Develop strategies related to overcoming the internal desire of perfectionism
Explore how we create and actualize expectations of ourselves and others
Consider how we can use the principles of emotional intelligence to cope with life’s greatest wins and loses
Ideal Audiences
- First Year Experience/Orientation
- Women’s Empowerment
- Fraternity and Sorority Life
- Mental Health
- Harm Reduction
- Alcohol and Drug Awareness
Your Mom Worries About You: Alcohol, Drugs, and Harm Reduction on Campus
Keynote | Workshop
Every loved one who has dropped their students off at college has worried. They worry about how their student will adjust to college life, the academic and social stresses, and whether they will make positive choices.
In the old days, they’d worry also included whether their student would explore alcohol and marijuana use too. How times have changed! Students are more medicated than ever and are bombarded with opportunities to experiment with illicit and dangerous drugs. Real, authentic conversations about how to reduce harm are needs and Dr. Wray is ready to lead them.
She is an experienced campus-based professional, student conduct officer, and champion for harm reduction and recovery. In this informative and action-oriented program she helps audiences explore the current trends of drug and alcohol use on college campuses sand ways in which we manage risk through safer decisions.
Audience members will…
Investigate the current state of drug and alcohol use on college campuses
Develop knowledge related to how the current trends of use are different than generations past
Consider ways in which risk and harm reduction can occur through personal choice
Ideal Audiences
- Professional Development
- Harm Reduction
- Alcohol and Drug Awareness
- First Year Experience/Orientation