Sandra Luckow

Born in Centralia, Washington, Sandra spent the first 18 years of her life in "Twin Peaks" country, the Great Northwest. The majority of her childhood was spent in Clackamas, Oregon, a then rural county outside of Portland. She had an eclectic childhood: she trained as a figure skater, performed professionally as a ventriloquist, worked as a child laborer in the strawberry fields for Smuckers Cannery, spent weekends on Mt. St. Helens (before the eruption, of course) and worked in her family's tropical fish store. She graduated valedictorian from Clackamas High School and she and a fellow classmate were the first people in its history to be accepted to Yale University. At Yale, she discovered film and doubled majored in American Studies and Film Studies -- a major that did not exist until her junior year. At Yale, in lieu of writing the required senior essay for graduation, Sandra petitioned to make a documentary film. She graduated with honors and distinction in the majors. At graduat