Life of a Listener

"I love the idea of listening to people’s stories, what they want to share, and figuring out how I can get a mass audience to hear them.

"I was always interested in news, and I realized it wasn’t writing for a newspaper, it was television…watching on the big screen and seeing the beauty of it come to life.”

Sarah Lang ’04 envisioned a career in journalism from an early age. Whether watching nightly news programs with her parents or going beyond small talk with strangers at the grocery store, Lang has always been captivated by the world around her.

The experiences she had at Tabor gave Lang the confidence to follow her dreams. Writing articles for the school newspaper and taking photography classes confirmed her career aspirations, while allowing her to discover new passions.

“Tabor gives you this well-roundedness that you don’t realize is there within yourself. You’re able to see things in different ways and find strengths you have that you didn’t know about before. I did mainly sports after school—field hockey, basketball, and tennis—I absolutely loved that. I knew I was studious and athletic, but there was this creative side that I didn’t know was so important to me,” she says.

At the School by the Sea, Lang was encouraged outside her comfort zone in a variety of ways, like confronting her fears to speak in front of an All School Meeting.

“Tabor is like life, you’re constantly learning. Whether it’s on the field, in the ceramics studio, in the classroom or dorm, these are skills you’re going to apply to your everyday life. I think this enabled me to pursue a career in journalism,” says Lang.

Knowing she wanted to work in television, Lang determined that New York City would provide the most opportunities for her. After graduation, Lang attended Fordham College at Rose Hill in the Bronx. There, she found athletics once again. Lang laughs that while she never rowed at Tabor, she missed being part of a team—which she says was prevalent in all aspects of her life as a Seawolf. After learning how to row and trying out for the team, Lang went on to become a Division I scholarship athlete while pursuing and learning everything she could about television.

In addition to majoring in communication and media studies and minoring in business in college, Lang studied broadcast journalism through internships with both local and national news stations. Lang’s first internship was at ABC News in Providence, Rhode Island. Her responsibilities included on-the-ground reporting and sourcing stories for the evening news. She later went on to intern in New York City. There, Lang worked closely with Emmy Award-winning anchor Katie Couric, running scripts to her between commercials. Lang admits that her heart would race at the speed of light as the seconds ticked away. The pressure of working in live television was intimidating, but, to Lang, it was also an exciting and invaluable experience. Working with Couric was a precursor to working with other trailblazing women in the industry.

While pursuing her master’s, coaching women’s rowing at Fordham, and working as a page at CBS, Lang was approached about a position with 20/20 at ABC News. “When I went to interview—I will never forget—I’m in the elevator at a completely new place, at such an amazing place, and when the doors open, in walks Barbara Walters. I don’t get starstruck, but it’s Barbara Walters,” recalls Lang.

Little did Lang know, that wouldn’t be the last time she ran into Walters. After her interview, Lang was offered the production assistant position at 20/20. In her role, she made booking calls, transcribed tapes, confirmed scripts, and learned how to tell and shape a story using visual imagery and footage.

“I was there for four years, and I got to work with Barbara Walters a lot. We ran into each other on the elevator again on my first day of work. I told her that she was my good luck charm, she was the reason I got this job, and she just laughed. I also got to work with Diane Sawyer on multiple stories, so I consider myself really lucky to have been at 20/20 when Barbara and Diane were there. They were a huge part of the program, and I was able to learn and gain confidence from them,” she says.

Lang approaches her career like a sponge—being open and willing to try new things and then going in and learning as much as possible. After 20/20, she worked at a production company on a variety of documentaries, series, and even reality television. For a project with the Travel Channel, she was tasked with filming in addition to producing.

“Being a producer in television is soup to nuts. There is so much that goes into producing, and so many abilities you need to have. You’re constantly learning, honing your writing skills, and getting better. Gathering all these experiences built up my toolkit and helped me discover what I really want to be doing. I want to be in news, where every day is different, and I can still be involved in human interest segments. That’s why I interviewed with Good Morning America (GMA) and that’s where I am now. I just love it,” she says.

At GMA, Lang is a producer in the field and series unit. She works mostly on taped packages during the 7 and 8 AM hours, and her storytelling varies from feel-good pieces to news reports.

Lang is grateful her career has brought her across the United States and the world while helping her learn about people and their cultures. Last spring, Lang traveled to Iceland to report on climate change with GMA host Michael Strahan. Then in November, they travelled to the tundra in Churchill, Manitoba, to cover the effect of climate change on polar bears’ natural habitats. (see photos above)

“I was able to see the polar bears and what is happening—how there is not enough ice for them, and so they must stay on land longer and are wandering in the town as a result. Now there’s a coexistence between the town and the polar bears. It is an unbelievable story because it shows the impact of climate change on these magnificent creatures,” continues Lang, “The first wild polar bears I saw were a mother with two cubs—it was unreal, it was so beautiful, and it was the experience of a lifetime,” emphasizes Lang.

Lang also told the story of the Uvalde, TX football team. Following the Robb Elementary School shooting that killed 21 people, the local community was still devastated. Looking for refuge, the high school football team came together to hold practices. They leaned on one another to overcome their adversity, and by the start of their season, Lang witnessed the team become one.

The “21” jersey was given to a player that exemplified what the community represented, and on the team’s first game they scored 21 points. Following the game, the father of the athlete who wore the special jersey said to Lang, “I just know those 21 points are the 21 angels watching over the community.”

Without realizing how important what they were doing, the team became a beacon of hope for their community. According to Lang, this was one of the most significant stories of her career to date.

“It was such a tragic, yet beautiful, thing to witness. It left a mark on me. The most important thing to me was when the father sent me a note about how thankful he was that I was able to share their story in a way that made them proud,” says Lang. “That’s why I do what I do. It’s not about me. If someone has a story to tell, I want to give them a voice.”

Throughout her years of experience in the entertainment industry, Lang has learned many important lessons. One of them being to listen to her gut.

“Whether it’s taking a risk, or it’s fact-checking an extra time, always listen to that voice inside you that’s pushing you or questioning you. It leads to you being yourself, being true to who you are and what you want to say,” stresses Lang.

Lang first learned how to be herself during her time as a Seawolf. “I’m not just saying this, but Tabor provided me with the ability to become who I am. I feel really lucky to have had that experience and to have Tabor as part of my background. To learn who I was, and have it be a part of shaping who I am today.”