ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Although she grew up an Alabama fan, it was Auburn that offered Sarah Sawyer an opportunity to become a doctor of pharmacy, or baring that a doctor of nursing.

“I know that whichever field I pursue, whether its pharmacy or nursing, I’m going to take it as far as I can ,” said Sawyer, a senior at Robertsdale High. “Either field will help me with my ultimate goal of going on medical missions through my church; the Church of theEastern Shore.”

Sawyer, who has a 4.3 grade point average, scored a 31 on the ACT. Those scores meant a full tuition scholarship toAuburn, which has a school of pharmacy, as well as a nursing program.

“I grew up in a family of preachers and teachers,” she said, “as my great grandfather, Harold Blackburn, was a retired Baptist minister and Director of Missions for Baldwin County.”

Sawyer said that other members of her family were serving as missionaries in both Cambodia and in various parts of Africa.

“Medicine is something I feel would be of use on the mission field,” she said, “because if you can help people who are ill, or vaccinate them to keep them from becoming ill, you can talk to the patient about the Lord while you are treating them.”

The daughter of Bill and Sandra Sawyer of Robertsdale, Sarah has a brother, Tom, who went on a mission trip this past summer.

“My brother went toAlaska as a member of the Athletes in Action group,” she said. “Tom pitches for UAB’s baseball team, where he is studying broadcasting. He and Lance Baxter, who also pitched for Robertsdale, and later theUniversity of South Alabama, share an apartment inBirmingham. Lance is at the Birmingham School of Law.”

In addition to her grades, Sawyer attended Girls State this past summer, in addition to attending the Alabama Youth Summit. During her junior year she competed in the Distinguished Young Women of Baldwin County (formerly known as Junior Miss) competition.

“I’ve been dancing for about nine years,” she said. “Ballet is probably my favorite form of dance; however, I’ve pretty much learned them all.”

Dance isn’t the only form of the arts that Sawyer has learned, as she loves to draw with colored pencils.

“I love the detail you can bring to a painting with colored pencils,” she said.

When she’s not in class Sawyer can be found pounding tennis balls out on the courts as a member of the Golden Bear tennis team.

“I played soccer my sophomore year,” she said, “but last year I joined the tennis team, and found that I really enjoy the game. I hope to keep improving through my senior year.”

In addition to her soccer and tennis, Sawyer is in the process of getting ready for the Powder Puff Bowl, which pits the girls from each class against each other in a gridiron war.

“The Powder Puff Bowl is a flag football game that helps raise money for the cheerleaders,” she said. “The winners have all the bragging rights, just like when Auburn and Alabama play.”

Sawyer said the Powder Puff is designed so that two teams play a quarter. This year the first-round match-ups will pit the seniors against the sophomores and the juniors against the freshmen girls.

“The losers of the first set of games play each other for third place, and the winners play for the championship,” she said. “All of us really enjoy it. Last year I managed to kick a field goal. That was a really good feeling watching it wobble through the crossbars.”

During the summer Sawyer enjoys going to the beach with friends.

“I have to be really careful, as I’m so fair completed I will come home looking as if I were parboiled,” she said. “I really have to slather on the sunscreen.”

This past summer Sawyer worked at Alligator Alley in Summerdale.

“I would like to get my pharmacy technicians license so I could work with a pharmacist,” she said. “I believe it would help me begin to understand the various drugs, what they are for, as well as their side effects and what other drugs they can be taken with.”

Caring for others is something that comes natural to Sawyer as she is the type person who looks outward, and when she sees a need she tries to meet it.

“I want to always make sure my priorities are in line,” she said. “If I were only interested in myself I think I would have tunnel vision about my own needs, and I don’t feel that would be living the life I was created for.”