Fan Profile: Sara Teate
Georgia Southern alumna Sara Teate (‘10) is True Blue, through and through, sharing her spirit in a unique way.
Teate earned her degree from the University in music education with an emphasis in voice. Since graduation, the Powder Springs, Georgia, native has landed jobs performing places like Princess and Carnival cruise lines, DollyWood, Busch Gardens and Stone Mountain. Currently, Sara is performing on land to sold out shows in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, at the Broward Stage Door Theatre in a 60s review show.
And recently, Sara was a performer on Silversea Cruise Line, performing the roles including Sandy in “Grease” and Elsa in “The Sound of Music,” among others. This also allowed her to share her True Blue roots around the world in places like Italy, France and Monaco, and with her fellow crew members.
“There is a walkway where all the ship’s crew pass every day called the I-95. When I wore my Georgia Southern t-shirt with the iconic phrase ‘One More Time,’ I always heard my fellow crew members say, ‘One More Time’ as I pass,” she said. “I explained to them what this means to us and they love it. American football is not as important to them as their cricket or soccer, but they do know the meaning of winning, and the Georgia Southern Eagles are winners! GATA!”
Growing up, Sara was always around music, having been a part of a family of musicians including her father, Gary Teate, a trumpet player and bass singer; her mother, Cindy Teate, a piano player and soprano singer; and her brother, Patrick Teate, a piano player and a tenor singer. Although she grew up around music and cherishes the influence from her family, Georgia Southern is where Sara “found her voice.”
“Before coming to Georgia Southern, I was just a Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Britney Spears wanna-be,” she said. “I owe my whole career thus far to Dr. Tamara watson Harper and Dr. Allen Henderson. They trained not only my voice but also my whole performing being. It’s not just about the beauty of the voice, but the way you can bring the whole audience into your world with your performance.”
So it’s no surprise that Sara got involved in the music scene at the University as a member of the Southern Chorale and Georgia Southern Opera. In fact, one of her fondest memories during her time as an Eagle was performing Randall Stroope’s “Amor De Mi Alma” with Southern Chorale.
“I will never forget the way we all held on to every last second of that performance,” she said. “With just the flick of the amazing Dr. Rod Caldwell’s little finger, we knew exactly how he wanted us to perform every line of the song. We were just as captivated with him and his passion as the audience was with the performance.”
The alumna holds on to her memories of Georgia Southern, taking them with her around the world and sharing her True Blue spirit with many of the people she meets. But what sticks with her the most about her experience in Statesboro is tradition.
“My dad always taught me the value and importance of tradition, and I have come to love most the tradition at Georgia Southern University,” she said. “I have literally been around the world and back, but I always know I can come home to Statesboro and still eat a chicken melt at Vandy’s, watch Freedom fly and get my favorite ‘melt in your mouth’ cookie from Heavenly Ham. Oh, and of course, football!”
