For LSA’s 2024-2025 Staff Recognition Awards, Sarah Torsch, DSI’s Training Coordinator, received the Humanities Rising Star Award. As the Training Coordinator, Sarah holds a wide range of responsibilities within the DSI, including but not limited to curriculum development, administrative oversight, student-facing programming, and planning for the Digital IDEAS Summer Institute, which is a week-long conference that focuses on the intersection of technology and social justice. [Responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.]
What does a typical day as the Training Coordinator for the DSI entail?
No one day is the same, which can be exciting! Because I wear so many different hats, my day really depends on what time of year it is and what we have coming up. A lot of my days are spent collaborating with my colleagues and our leadership team, meeting with undergraduate and graduate students, and planning for our fun upcoming events.
A few specific examples include planning our teaching matrix each semester, hiring and onboarding all of our GSIs, promoting our Digital Studies Minor and Digital Studies Graduate Certificate programs, and executing student events, including our Mario Gaming Nights, Study Halls, and our AMPLIFY student showcase.
How does your previous experience impact or inform your current role?
After graduating with my MSW from U-M's School of Social Work back in 2015, I spent the first several years of my career working in Child Welfare as a Foster Care/Adoption Specialist. While working in my previous social work role, I spent my last few years supervising U-M graduate students as they completed their MSW internships at our agency. Working closely with these students really inspired me to transition into higher education in some capacity. I was really attracted to the Digital Studies Institute, given their mission and commitment to social justice. As a former social worker, values such as anti-racism, anti-ableism, and equity are central to my professional identity. When I saw this position open, with its emphasis on working with students at the intersection of technology and social justice, it immediately felt like a perfect fit.
What is your favorite thing about working for the DSI?
I feel so lucky to be a part of the DSI for so many reasons! The people that the DSI attracts are just phenomenal human beings - staff, faculty, and students alike. One of my favorite parts of being in the DSI is getting to connect with such genuinely amazing people. We spend so much of our time at work, so it makes all the difference to be surrounded by great people!
What is one thing you wish everyone knew regarding the undergraduate population/what it’s like to coordinate coursework?
Our students are amazing and are doing fantastic work in our courses; it’s really inspiring to see how they are critically thinking about the digital world and bridging the gap between technology and social justice. One of my favorite events of the year is our AMPLIFY: DSI Student Showcase, where we highlight the outstanding work that our students do in their courses. I always feel so inspired after this event, seeing what our students are working on and how they are thinking about the world!
In terms of coordinating coursework, there are so many moving pieces. We do our best to offer a robust curriculum that focuses on interrogating emerging topics in the world of tech and social justice, while also having to navigate the logistical necessities of time scheduling, enrollment capacities, room assignments, etc. It is definitely a delicate dance that takes a lot of time and creative thinking!
I was honored to be nominated by my colleagues, faculty, and students for the Rising Star award. I really enjoy what I do and working with such amazing people, so it felt great to be recognized in this way!
