Sara C. Yakovac was born when her father’s Army career had him posted at West Point Military Academy. Her childhood was spent in several different places including Germany.
She enrolled at James Madison University where she became a member of Alpha Sigma Tau and served on the chapter’s executive board. It was shortly after spring break her senior year that she was diagnosed with leukemia.
An economics major, Yakovac served as president of the Economics Club and was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon economics honor society. She graduated magna cum laude in 2000, and was hired by KPMG Consulting. Yakovac began as a consumer loan researcher, but her career was cut short and she took a medical leave.
Yakovac underwent treatment at Ohio State University’s medical center including a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy. While the odds of the procedure being successful were about 20%, she remained positive that she would be one of the lucky ones.
She died April 17, 2001 at the age of 22. She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Her parents, Major General and Mrs. Joseph L. Yakovac, endowed a scholarship for a student in the James Madison University economics program. The Psi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau established a scholarship in her memory which is administered through the Alpha Sigma Tau Foundation.
The Breeze, October 3, 2002
