Sara Meadows shares five things she can’t live without
MY FIVE: A series where we ask Omahans to share their five favorite things
Coming from a small town in central Iowa, Sara Meadows speaks highly of Omaha and is thankful for the doors that the city has opened for her.
Meadows is a University of Nebraska at Omaha journalism student. She started as a contributor for The Gateway, a student-run publication at the university, and has successfully worked her way up to now being its Editor-In-Chief.
“When I moved to Omaha, I was terrified to be alone in a big city, in a new apartment at a new school,” Meadows said. “But UNO has provided me with some amazing opportunities that I never even imagined getting.”
She started off as a Marketing major, but as she started getting involved with The Gateway, Meadows fell in love with interviewing people and storytelling. That’s when she knew she found exactly what she wanted to do.
“The Gateway has a big place in my heart because I don’t think I could get that experience anywhere else,” she said. “We’re a small, but mighty team.”
Surprisingly, Meadows said that English was the hardest subject for her, growing up. But as she started writing songs and reading more, she excelled in her writing.
As she’s finishing up her last semester at UNO, Meadows is thinking of going through the public relations route.
“PR is everywhere, whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, whatever,” she said. “I’ve been on a new campaign in my classes and I really loved that. And just creating something from start to finish and seeing the final project is amazing.”
She said she would love to work at a non-profit or a PR firm, outside of Omaha. She’s currently looking into careers in Denver, Colorado.
We asked Meadows what are five things she can’t live without and this is what she said…
1.Music.
I started writing music at a very young age. I also play guitar and my dream, actually, is to be a musician, but that’s obviously hard to do in the Midwest.
Music is an escape from reality, and I have a ton of feelings, and it’s great to put them to music. I swear I listen to music eight hours a day; whether I’m driving or just cleaning my apartment, music has to be playing. Being able to tell your story and listen to other artists and their story is great. It’s my favorite thing ever.
2. Friends.
When I moved here, I had no friends. But through UNO and going to local bars, I met so many people, and it’s really cool to know what they’re doing in life and kind of their stories. Friends are like little therapy sessions. Life gets pretty hard sometimes, so you need a few friends in your corner. Without them, it would be really hard to get through the days.
3. Nightlife.
The nightlife obviously in Omaha is amazing - it’s not just the bar scene either. My sister and I go to comedy shows in Benson. I love Benson and think it’s a really creative community.
I love the nightlife in Omaha because there’s live music and open mic night. It’s just fun to have an excuse to get dressed up and go out and not do homework all day.
4. Storytelling.
I started out writing songs, and that’s kind of where I excelled in my writing.
I was so scared to do my first interview at The Gateway. Afterward, I was like, “Oh my gosh, I actually love talking to people and getting to know them.”
Being able to tell someone else’s story is so powerful, and it’s truly an honor to be able to put their story. I think of a story as a puzzle, and at the end, it’s like, “wow, I made that.”
I just love storytelling, and Omaha has really cool people to talk to. I probably would have never run into those people if I hadn’t been working at The Gateway.
5. Omaha Food.
In my hometown, it was literally just McDonald’s and Walmart. When I moved here, there were like a million restaurants to choose from. I think we have the most restaurants per capita.
My palate has expanded a lot. I’ve tried Indian food and things that I never would’ve tried but ended up loving.
There are a ton of food festivals, and the Italian one I went to was really amazing. That’s where I spend most of my money because I never had that growing up.
My favorite restaurant is Pasta Amore in West Omaha, and it’s fine dining, authentic Italian.
Xitlally Velasco is a University of Nebraska at Omaha journalism student with a concentration in public relations and advertising, and a minor in Psychology. She is the Marketing and Public Relations Digital Content Curator at Lozafina.