Sarah Park Dahlen '02, M.A. '04

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Sarah Park Dahlen '02, M.A. '04, an associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected to serve on the 2023 National Book Award jury in the category of Young People's Literature. She will serve alongside her friend, New York Times best-selling author and 2022 National Book Award winner Sabaa Tahir '04.

Park Dahlen herself has received numerous awards, including several from the Children's Literature Association — the Mentoring Award in 2021, the Faculty Research Award in 2019 and the Diversity Award in 2017. Her research addresses Korean adoption in children’s literature, Frank and Frances Carpenter's writings for children, and diversity in children's literature and library education.

As an undergraduate, Park Dahlen double-majored in history and Asian American studies; she earned her master's degree in the latter.