Bob Hitchcock
In a charming corner of downtown Orange, Sarah Everett ’24 greets customers with a warm smile at O Sea restaurant, where she is the General Manager. Having graduated from Chapman University with a BA in Communication and minor in Sociology and Honors Program, Everett’s connection to Orange runs deeper than her four years as a student. It’s a relationship that began with a family road trip and blossomed into finding a community she now calls home.
As an eighth grader from Washington state, Everett joined her father, mother and older brother on a college tour that brought them to California. When they arrived in Orange for the first time, something clicked. “I was drawn to the overall community, not just the school itself,” Everett recalled. The vibrant street fair happening during one visit showcased vendors and community members coming together in a way she’d never experienced in her hometown.
“I just felt like the school was so connected to the downtown, and if you were going to Chapman, you were also attending the Orange Circle in some regards,” she thought. “You could walk in the residential streets, and it was just an extension of the school.”
Everett’s Chapman journey began in the fall of 2020, not in Orange, but via Zoom from her home in Washington as the pandemic altered the beginning of her traditional college experience. By her second semester, she was able to move to California, and despite COVID restrictions, found her first community connection through volunteering at the Orange Homegrown Farmers Market.
That community involvement expanded when Everett started working at O Sea Restaurant in her freshman year. What began as a part-time job became a meaningful way to build relationships beyond the campus. Working a few nights a week and connecting with members of the community, whether professors or longtime Orange residents, helped her establish roots that ultimately kept her in Orange after graduation.
Now as general manager, Everett enjoys creating welcoming experiences for guests. She values the relationships she builds with patrons, so much so that some customers recognize her as “Sarah from the O Sea” outside of the restaurant.
When asked if Orange feels like home, without hesitation she said, “It really does.”
“I think Orange is a very welcoming place to a lot of people, and I really appreciate being a part it. I love Orange,” said Everett. “The sense of community and all the little shops -that’s definitely a nice part of being here. But what really makes it special is being able to talk with people, connect with guests, ask how they’re doing, what’s new, and genuinely start to learn about their lives. That kind of connection is pretty special.”
Everett has found her places among the historic streets and friendly faces of Orange. A testament to how a welcoming town can become more than a temporary stop on life’s journey.
The next time you are in the Circle, stop by O Sea for a bite to eat and a friendly hello from Sarah Everett, Chapman Class of ’24 and Orange resident.
