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INSIDE ARCHIVE


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UW-Green Bay, CL 815
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E-mail: matzken@uwgb.edu

Rev. May 13, 2008

 


Sara Streblow '89
Attorney
Hometown: Suring
UW-Green Bay Major: Business Administration
Law School: University of Wisconsin '92

Sara Streblow has never been one to let a disability handicap her ambitions… among them a bachelor's degree in business and a law degree. “I’ve adapted to my surroundings,” she explains, “instead of expecting my surroundings to adapt to me.”
      Such was the case at UW-Green Bay, a campus she chose because of the concourse system, which allowed her better mobility with crutches and, when longer distances required, a scooter. In the classroom, nothing slowed her down. She discovered a particular propensity for numbers, which served her well in law school, as well.
      “I remember specifically a weeklong unit on torts (law lingo for civil wrongdoing), and using statistics to figure out the probability of damages unforeseen. The thought of all those numbers made my classmates and teacher shutter, but it was fun for me.”
      After law school Streblow joined the family business, Gillett Cement, founded by her grandfather and run by her parents. When her family sold a few years ago, Streblow stayed on, working to make sure customers pay for materials purchased and placing liens on property when they don’t.
      It was "pro bono” work for a local daycare center that she regards as a great professional accomplishment. Housed in an old church building, it was sued for noncompliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Streblow negotiated the first-ever ADA settlement between a daycare center and the federal government. It allowed the daycare to work toward compliance efforts and stay in business.
      Streblow is looking ahead to more law work, but recent spinal surgery has her concentrating on rehab. She retains her good humor, nonetheless. “I guess it is in my nature,” she says.  “I think everyone has something to deal with, mine is just more visible. I believe that you need to deal with whatever hand you are dealt. If you have certain goals, it may be more challenging to achieve those goals, but I don’t see a disability as an excuse.”


Click here to download a PDF file of the entire May 2008 issue of Inside magazine.