Her Story
About Sarah
Before the titles, Sarah Santiago is a woman from East Harlem who learned how to build, grow, and lead while navigating real life. Her journey has been shaped by motherhood, education, direct service, leadership, and community.
Sarah has always been drawn to helping people see more for themselves. As a licensed master social worker and social services leader, she has spent years supporting young adults, families, staff, and communities through some of life’s most challenging transitions. As Director of Supportive Housing, she oversees case management services for young adults and families experiencing homelessness as they work toward permanent housing, stability, and connection to essential resources.
Her experience across direct practice and executive leadership has given her a clear understanding of what people and programs need to thrive. Sarah believes it is not enough to simply create a program — the program has to make sense for the people being served and the staff doing the work.
In 2022 Sarah built Choose Y.O.U. LLC, her consulting, training, and group coaching company rooted in communication, engagement, advocacy, and opportunity-building. Through Choose Y.O.U. LLC, Sarah offers workshops, school-based communication sessions, personal development training, and engagement-focused training for human service professionals. Her work helps staff have more intentional conversations with clients who may feel guarded, overwhelmed, inconsistent, mistrustful, or stuck in survival mode. She is passionate about helping professionals move from reactive responses to proactive engagement, where trust is built, defensiveness is reduced, and the next step becomes clearer.
Sarah also created the Your Opportunity Unlocked Program with Choose YOU, a group coaching experience for women, especially first-generation women, who feel stuck, overlooked, or unsure how to position themselves for better opportunities. Through this work, she helps women recognize the value of their lived experience, strengthen their voice, set boundaries, communicate with confidence, and understand that their story can become a source of impact, not limitation.
Sarah earned her Master of Social Work from Hunter College and her Bachelor’s degree in Criminology from John Jay College. In July 2026, she began serving as Manhattan Division Director for the National Association of Social Workers – New York State Chapter, a role that allows her to give back to the profession and the same community that helped shape her.
At the heart of Sarah’s work is one belief: you are allowed to choose again, grow again, and create a life that reflects who you are becoming. Your experience may shape you, but you still get to define yourself, discover what you love, and unlock opportunities that align with your purpose, passion, and potential.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to not limiting myself, staying open to learning, and being willing to try new things even when I do not have everything figured out. I have learned the importance of asking questions, taking initiative, staying flexible, and surrounding myself with positive people who challenge and support me. I also credit my strong support system, especially my mother, who has always played an important role in my growth. For me, success has come from remaining teachable, trusting my journey, and believing that every experience can prepare me for a greater opportunity.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to never count myself out of a room I have not even stepped into yet. Sometimes we limit ourselves before anyone else does because we think we need to have it all figured out first. I have learned that growth comes from being willing to ask questions, take initiative, try new things, and remain open to opportunities that may not look exactly how I expected. That advice has reminded me to keep showing up, keep learning, and trust that my lived experience, education, and leadership journey all have value.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering social work, human services, consulting, or community-based work is this: come in with heart, but also come in ready to learn, grow, and lead. This field needs women who are compassionate, curious, bold, and willing to ask questions. Stay teachable, build real relationships, learn the systems, and never underestimate the value of your lived experience.
There are so many ways to serve, advocate, and create impact. You do not have to have it all figured out before you start. Every role, every conversation, and every challenge can teach you something that prepares you for the next opportunity. Be willing to take initiative, speak up, and take up space in rooms where decisions are being made.
Most importantly, do not shrink yourself. Your story, your education, your compassion, and your leadership all matter. When you combine what you have lived with what you are learning, you become a powerful asset to the people, programs, and communities you serve. Keep showing up, keep growing, and trust that your voice is needed in this work.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I see is that many people struggle to see beyond what they have experienced. When you grow up navigating survival, limited resources, trauma, or systems that were difficult to understand, it can become hard to imagine opportunities outside of what you already know. This is true for many of the clients served in human services, but it is also true for first-generation women, professionals, and leaders who are trying to build without a blueprint.
The opportunity is helping people recognize that their experiences may have shaped them, but they do not have to limit what comes next. Opportunity is not only about access — it is also about how people see themselves, how they position their story, how they enter rooms, how they communicate, and how they build relationships. At every age and stage, there is room to grow, choose differently, and unlock new possibilities.
In this field, I believe we have an opportunity to close that gap by creating spaces, programs, and conversations that help people move beyond survival and begin seeing the strengths, passion, and potential that already exist within them.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide me are self-respect, self-advocacy, authenticity, resilience, growth, family, faith, and kindness. In my work and personal life, I believe in staying grounded, treating people with dignity, leading with purpose, and remaining open to growth. These values remind me to keep showing up, keep learning, and continue creating opportunities for myself, my family, and the communities I serve.
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