SarahTrachsel

Greetings! My name is Sarah Trachsel and I am an Information Science major at the University of North Texas. I am a non-traditional student who recently returned to school to formalize my skills, after many years in non-profits and higher ed. I hope to continue my career in higher education and/or fine arts administration.

My greatest strengths are in strategy and organization. Whether I am working with people or information (or both), most of my professional career has been focused in these areas.

Currently I am employed as the Concert and Events Scheduling Coordinator for the UNT College of Music, booking 50k+ reservations and over 1000 public performances each year. I coordinate event support with other departments for sound and recording, programs, and marketing, as well as collect data to better understand future needs for space, staffing, and resources. We recently transitioned to a new scheduling software in partnership with other departments on campus, and my office is responsible for developing and inputting the base data and workflows for all COM needs.

I have also worked for non-profits serving a variety of missions, coordinating volunteers, managing donor information/databases, and providing support for supply and logistics.

My instinctual response when faced with a new project or repair is usually, "I can figure that out." I have replaced electrical outlets and fixtures, and built and repaired lamps. I did most of the finish work on our bathroom renovation, installing plumbing fixtures, laying tile, and installing trim. I am also usually the one tackling appliance repair in our home, from phone screen and battery replacement to broken vacuums and laundry machines. It will be very interesting to be on the other side of this process!

Giving back to my community is extremely important to me, and I am often involved in one or more volunteer organizations. I have helped run a food pantry that focused on children's food-insecurity, worked for a homeless shelter, and I am currently on the board of a non-profit that focuses on raising money for grants to other non-profits that cover projects often ineligible for other funding. During covid lockdown I made thousands of masks for first responders, nursing homes, and teachers. I also volunteer regularly for my kids' schools.

This is a pic of my sister and I delivering food to students in our school district during covid, wearing some of the masks I made.

I have a variety of creative pursuits - I play several instruments, I'm a seamstress and also enjoy embroidery, and I make jewelry and other small crafts. I also love to read - sometimes I just want to learn something new but I also love to decompress with a good fantasy novel.

I designed and constructed this frog footman head for an Alice in Wonderland play.

• I have four teenagers: a HS freshman, two HS seniors, and my oldest is also a college sophomore - we will probably graduate at the same time.
• Alice in Wonderland is my favorite book.
• I love road trips, especially on the back roads, and I have been to 43 states. My longest single trip was 24 states and DC in 31 days.
• I love to bake pies - my favorite is cherry, but apple and peach are close seconds.