Sarah Wannarka

2021 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENT

BA 1995, Communication

Federal prosecutor for the United States Attorneys’ Office (San Antonio, TX)

I am proud to be part of a three generation Purdue family. My father earned a PhD, my mother earned a Masters, and two siblings earned Bachelor’s degrees at Purdue. We are thrilled the Boilermaker tradition continues as my nephew has been accepted into Krannert for this fall. While at Purdue, I was active in the Greek system and Panhellenic, Purdue Foundation Student Board, and most notably, I was a Purduette with Purdue Musical Organizations.

After graduation from Purdue, I attended law school at Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas and have been a career Texas prosecutor ever since.

Currently, I serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Texas. I prosecute federal cases involving firearms and violent crime.

In 2011-2012, I was selected to participate in a detail in Kabul, Afghanistan to train and mentor Afghan prosecutors in conjunction with the State Department. I spent 18 months in a war zone working with Afghan prosecutors trying to make their country safe.

In my free time, I volunteer with Junior League of San Antonio, Make a Wish Foundation, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and Rotary.