Current and former Lutrinae staff speak about memories with late faculty advisor of The Lutrinae
Sara Gobets first became the Faculty Advisor to California State University, Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) student-run newspaper, The Lutrinae, in January 2019. She was a lover of nature and infectiously dedicated to journalism. Sara always strived for The Lutrinae to have the best we could, from trying to get us the best equipment possible to sharing her wisdom with us.
She passed away on July 25, 2022 while working as a counselor for an adventure guide company in the Dominican Republic.
Sara was someone many of The Lutrinae staff came to know and love. During staffers’ time at The Lutrinae, many of us came away with fond memories of Sara.
“I was fortunate enough to work closely under Sara’s guidance as former editor-in-chief of The Lutrinae and as a student in her first journalism lecture at CSUMB. I was a part of the hiring committee that interviewed Sara for her role as The Lutrinae’s advisor and from the moment I met her, I knew she was too good for us and wondered what karma had brought us together in our tiny newsroom that would unknowingly come to hold so many cherished memories.
Sara had already lived a life full of adventure and experience, which she so generously shared with us through her stories and teachings. I hung onto her every word and tried to embody her spirit in everything I did, as there was no one else I admired more or sought approval from. Sara was not only my advisor, lecturer and mentor – she was my friend.
I moved to Portland, Oregon after graduation and felt lost when I received the news of her fate, but found solace reading her sibling’s blog to discover that Sara had also briefly lived in Portland while attending Lewis and Clark College. Despite not having seen Sara in over two years, I still feel her presence in the warmth of the sun and find comfort knowing I am continuing in her footsteps down the very same streets she, too, once walked.
Sara impacted the lives of every person she encountered and I consider myself extremely lucky to be one of them. To know Sara was to love her and I will carry that love with me for a long time to come, rest in peace to a truly transcendent soul.”
Jenna Ethridge
Volume 3 Editor-in-Chief
“Sara is the most impactful mentor that I’ve ever had. She was confident in a humbling, lovely and open way. She was accepting of everyone’s creative ideas and always pushed us to improve.
I always looked up to Sara outside of work and school as well. She was adventurous and well traveled, which made me inspired to see and try new things and feel less afraid of being independent.
I can say with complete honesty that I don’t know where I’d be today if I didn’t work at the Lutrinae under Sara’s mentorship. I feel like I have this overwhelming sense of gratitude for her presence in my life, and I hope her soul can still feel it now that she’s passed.”
Sydney Brown
Volume 4 Editor-in-Chief
“Everyone who met Sara was blessed with her amazing energy and friendliness. The newspaper was the best part of online school and Sara was what made the newspaper so great. I wish I had joined CSUMB as a freshman to soak up more of her ideas, leadership skills, and way of looking at the world and making everyone be better people and better newswriters. The culture Sara created amongst the newspaper staff showed what an amazing person she was. She made everyone feel welcome, included, and like they were part of something important.”
Anna Stubler
Volume 5 Webmaster and Assistant Editor
“Sara,
Where to begin? First, I’d like to thank you for your wisdom. The advice you gave me from daily life suggestions to helping me find my passion in journalism. You gave me a wonderful opportunity as editor-in-chief and I gained so much knowledge in the field. I will forever be indebted to you for allowing a young, inspiring writer a chance to fulfill her dreams.
The first time I met you at the Otter Showcase in 2020 was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I miss our talks, newspaper meetings, and hanging out with Spaz and Minion. I cherish our memories together, and it breaks my heart that we will not have the chance to create more. Life works in mysterious ways and while I might not always understand why certain things happen, I take great joy in knowing that you lived a life full of love and adventure.
You continue to amaze me, with your abilities as a master diver, photojournalist and activist. I hope to have your bravery and live life unapologetically for myself. You never faltered with showing up as a friend or mentor. One of my fondest experiences with you was going to watch UC Santa Cruz’s ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ production.
Working with you and the Lutrinae were some of my happiest times, and I hope to make you proud with the insight and skills I developed. The Lutrinae would not be the student-run legacy it is today without your advising and vision. You’ve granted so many students, like myself, a safe and nurturing environment where we could blossom, see our true potentials, and be fearless in speaking the truth and spreading important news.
Wherever you are in the universe, I hope there’s white sandy beaches, crystal clear blue water and turtles. I hope you’re swimming and diving with the best of them. I miss you terribly, but our friendship showed me the importance of never taking a moment for granted. If only I could give you another hug, have another conversation with you, and relish in the joys of seeing another spectacular issue produced.
Sometimes there never seems to be the right or appropriate words to send someone off with, especially when it’s a hard reality to accept, but a million thank yous is just the beginning. Until we meet again.”
Cassidy Ulery
Volume 5 Editor-in-Chief
“I met Sara my sophomore year of college in a Zoom journalism class; from there, she reminded me of what I love about journalism so much.
The following year when I applied for the school paper, both Arie and Sara took a chance on me and decided to make me assistant editor; even though it was my first time, she saw my passion for writing and taught me so much more.
One of my favorite memories with Sara would have to be when I joined her and Arie when we went to Long Beach because the Lutrinae staff members had won awards.
I was able to get a closer bond with her and learn more about her, but it was also a significant step into a look at what I want to do in the future; she truly did help me grow as a person and in writing.
Sara was such a great advisor, and I was able to learn so much from her not only as a professor and advisor but also as a person.
I will cherish all of the memories made with her; she was such a giving person and truly wanted the best for everyone; her life will live on in all of the students and people she touched. Rest in Peace to a beautiful, kindhearted soul.”
Estrella McDaniel
Volume 6 Assistant Editor
“Finding the right words for this has been incredibly difficult. I picked CSUMB because I wanted to go to a school with a student-run newspaper, but I had no idea how much I would come to care about the team behind it and how much I would learn about journalism.
Sara was the best advisor and mentor I have had the opportunity to learn under. Her passion for journalism was infectious and it always made me strive to put out the best work I could, every time.
Within the three years I worked with Sara, I learned so much about journalism and life in general. Sara was always our number one supporter and working nonstop to give us the best opportunities possible.
Sara was an easy person to love. While she was my advisor and mentor, she was also my friend.
Some of my favorite memories throughout my college experience have come from the Lutrinae. I loved our end-of-the semester get-togethers, texting each other our friend’s responses to the largest animals they thought they could take in a fight, and doing an escape room with her and the rest of the team. I am still incredibly proud of us beating the most difficult room with 14 minutes to spare!
Being without Sara this semester has been hard, but I think her passion for journalism has given myself and the rest of the team the inspiration to continue to produce the best content we can, in her honor. I hope Volume 6 of The Lutrinae is something Sara would be proud of.
Sara will continue to be an inspiration to me and I hope I can carry the things I learned from her with me for many years to come. She was somebody who lived life so unapologetically herself, with so much care for every person she met or project she took on.
I could go on for hours of all the fond memories I have with Sara and.I am eternally grateful for the time we spent together. It’s hard to put my gratitude for her into words. Rest in peace to my best mentor and truly one-in-a-million soul.”
Arianna Nalbach
Volume Editor-in-Chief