Sara Gelrud

Professional portrait

About Me

I am a journalist and editor for Student Life Newspaper, the independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis, where I am a sophomore majoring in comparative arts. My interest in journalism began in high school where I was the Editor-in-Chief of my high school's award-winning newspaper and literary magazine. Growing up, I lived in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. I currently live in Miami when not at school in St. Louis.

Living in so many cities has helped me cultivate a wider perspective on the world and the culture within it. I have attended South by Southwest Film&TV festival as official festival press, interviewing directors and reviewing films. My interest in music began with Kidz Bop 2012 and The Cure songs my mother would play on the ride to kindergarten in the morning. Now, I interview bands in and around the St. Louis music scene.

I am fluent in Spanish.

Favorite Stories

FilmMarch 2026

‘DreamQuil’ premieres at SXSW: meet the WashU alumna who produced it

In a society constantly navigating how to best use artificial intelligence and other forms of technology, “DreamQuil” is a film that asks audiences to reconsider their own connection to what makes them human in this relatively new technological world.

InvestigativeFebruary 2026

Sports betting comes to campus

“Brilliant,” my mother messaged me a few weeks ago on Instagram. When I opened her message, I expected the post she was referring to would be a video of Rick Beato explaining a rock song or maybe even an update on the world of figure skating (two things we love talking about). To my surprise, her “brilliant” was in reference to an ad for the sports betting app Fanatics, featuring Kendall Jenner.

MusicSeptember 2025

Art, empathy, and the joy of being loud: Adam Weiner’s gospel

“I don’t want to go out there and die, you know, I want to kill,” Low Cut Connie frontman Adam Weiner tells me. You’ve probably never heard of Low Cut Connie. But Weiner delivers a killer performance every time he and his band come out on stage. You’ll probably become a frequent listener shortly after they finish their set.

MusicSeptember 2025

Everclear frontman Art Alexakis on resurgence, relevance, and rock’s future

“It’s amazing how music and art can transcend generations,” Everclear frontman Art Alexakis tells me during our phone call. His voice sounds twice as gritty over the phone as it does in his songs when he mentions he’s drinking what’s probably his second or third cup of coffee that morning.

MusicApril 2025

Dirtbag Democracy: Wheatus lets the crowd call the shots

Brendan’s show philosophy is centered around the audience’s experience. Shows aren’t about checking boxes, as he puts it. Instead, they’re about giving his audiences, the people who allow Wheatus to do what they love every night, the experience they want.

FilmMarch 2025

Alex Burunova and her debut feature film 'Satisfaction'

Belgium, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Dominican Republic, and the United States: these are just a few of the countries where film director Alex Burunova has lived. “A little bit here and there,” as she puts it. Her semi-nomadic lifestyle started when she was a child and has continued ever since.

FilmMarch 2025

A recap of SXSW’s films through their oddly specific trends

Every March, filmmakers, actors, critics, industry professionals, and most importantly, film lovers, flock to Austin, Texas, for 10 days to attend SXSW Film & TV Festival. While the festival has specific sections for certain types of films, I have crafted my own categories to recap a few of the films featured at this year’s festival.

MusicFebruary 2025

A southern belle raises hell: Willow Avalon comes to St. Louis

A sold-out show. Dozens of cowboy hats creating a canopy over a crowd of all ages. Girls in white cotton dresses with hair bows to match. Guys sporting denim and flannel. The ground is buried beneath pairs of cowboy boots. Who would’ve thought this was St. Louis?

InvestigativeNovember 2024

Mold mayhem: mold in South 40 dorms continues to plague students

Ian Scholes was excited to finally move into his WashU housing for his first year of college, after a long summer of dealing with mold in his house. But when he stepped into his suite in Dauten, Scholes and his family immediately recognized the smell of mildew and saw signs of mold.

InvestigativeOctober 2024

Where does it all go? Behind the scenes of WashU’s recycling program

WashU has hundreds or even thousands of recycling bins on its campus that are used by students, faculty, and staff each day. But where does it all go? Most students don’t know.

FilmApril 2024

Movie Review | Arcadian

“Arcadian” is the most recent addition to the oh no, the world ended and we’re the only humans left movie genre. While this kind of genre is arguably saturated with countless films and series, “Arcadian” stands out as an independently-spirited family drama that is sure to leave you both terrified of the creatures on the screen and with a warmness in your heart from the characters’ family dynamics and close bonds.