

In 2018, she was a recipient of the Eugene Smith Fellowship. She was the recipient of the Alexia Foundation grant for her 2017 work in the United States, and was also a 2017 fellow with Catchlight, working with Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Her latest work revolves around ideologies amongst youth in Russia, Eastern Europe, and the United States. She is a graduate of the Visual Journalism and Documentary Practice program at the International Center of Photography in New York. Upon graduation, she studied at Bookvar Russian Academy in Minneapolis, concentrating on the Russian language.

While in University, she worked as a photographer for the organization Healing Haiti based in Port au Prince, Haiti, covering events surrounding the 2010 earthquake. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she studied Youth Development. Sarah Blesener is a documentary photographer based in New York City.
