Dragon Impact: Under the stars and Beyond school

Sara Schultz, Minnesota State Moorhead’s planetarium director, is a puzzle lover fueled by challenge and fascinated with the universe. She has made her mission to help others in their own journey — whether that means understanding physics of a galaxy or finding light in the middle of grief.

A physics graduate who once chose Moorhead because it had a planetarium, Sara now leads that very space.

Since Sara was a student, the physics department was a supportive community that believed in her potential and opened doors to research, leadership, and hands-on learning. She learned to say yes to opportunities and to build meaningful relationships with professors — lessons she now passes on to her own students.

“The students are the reason I do what I do,” she says.

Today, she oversees programming, budgets, scheduling, outreach, and training students to run planetarium shows.

Under Sara’s leadership, the planetarium has grown into a vibrant hub of experiential learning. In more than a decade as a director, she has mentored over 100 student staff members creating a space where students gain confidence and leadership skills.

“Sara has challenged, guided, supported, encouraged, and inspired me to step into something new and scary. Without her, I would not be as confident in who I am today and what I could grow to be,” says Marah West, current Moorhead student.

Problem-solving energizes Sara. Growing the planetarium, expanding programming, and embracing new immersive technologies are puzzles she is eager to solve. She has secured more than $200,000 in grant funding to upgrade equipment and enhance community outreach, ensuring more students and children have access to informal science education.

“With science, there is such an opportunity for a sense of awe,” Sara says. “The universe is amazing. Being able to share that with other people — to let them experience it together — is powerful.”

Her influence extends beyond campus. Sara is actively involved in science associations like the International Planetarium Society’s Education Committee and the Great Lakes Planetarium Association Executive Board, among others.

Her professional excellence has earned statewide and national recognition, including the 2023 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees Outstanding Service Faculty Award and the 2025 Great Lakes Planetarium Association Mentor Award.

Yet for Sara, the most important work is still personal.

While earning her Ph.D. in science education, working full-time, and raising four children, she experienced the loss of one of her children, Ruby. That loss reshaped her advocacy and strengthened her commitment to supporting others.

“What inspires me is being there for people and helping them when they need it,” Sara says.

Sara facilitated grief support for families through Hospice of the Red River Valley for several years, and now is volunteering with Red Bird Ministries as a grief support specialist. Beyond that, she and her husband have dedicated more than 12 years to Worldwide Marriage Encounter, supporting couples through retreats designed to strengthen communication.

Her impact reflects more than professional achievement. It reflects Moorhead’s values of heart, grit and curiosity.

That is why she is a Dragon Impact Award recipient — not only for what she has accomplished, but for the lives she continues to shape.