Staff Profiles

More than 100 staff members work in the Division of the Humanities. We’ll introduce you to our staff in this continuing series.

Trista Trone
Recruitment and Engagement Specialist
Student Affairs, Office of the Dean

What do you like most about your job?

The students! They are creative, bold, and passionately curious.

What was the last good book you read?

As an auditory learner, I listen to books! Just a few days ago, you may have seen me parked on the Midway before work listening to the final pages of the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. It’s got everything: mystery, British humor, and gang of loveable pensioners.

You might work with me if …

You are a prospective student interested in pursuing a graduate degree in Humanities, or a current student interested in serving as a student ambassador for the Division. I am available to meet with students to discuss graduate programs, admissions, visiting days, moving to Chicago, and more.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?

Chicago might be my forever home, but I am a country girl at heart. One of my favorite seasonal activities is morel mushroom hunting. My family taught me how to find them when I was young, and now I love to visit home at that time of year, hike out to my secret spots (you never share where you find them so you can return the next year to an untouched patch), and search. While it may take hours to spot one, once you find one, you know there are more nearby. As I have gotten older, my cooking skills have greatly improved, so half the fun is coming up with new ways to prepare them each spring. Such a special treat!

More than 100 staff members work in the Division of the Humanities. We’ll introduce you to our staff in this continuing series.

Michael Fischer
Senior Program Manager
Creative Writing Program

What do you like most about your job?

I enjoy being around creative writers, whether it is visiting authors or our faculty. Our group of faculty differs from most academic departments. While we certainly have our share of folks with PhDs and traditional academic backgrounds, writing is a hustle. That means we also have folks whose last job before teaching was waiting tables. I like that dynamic.

What was the last good book you read?

I read a ton and have awful reading comprehension, so even a good book often doesn’t stay with me for long. But the last awesome book I remember reading was Heavy by Kiese Laymon. Kiese is a genius, with a MacArthur Fellowship to prove it. His memoir is the one book I recommend to people regardless of their interests and feel confident they’ll like it.

You might work with me if …

Your curricular programming intersects with the Creative Writing Program's courses or faculty, you would like our financial or promotional support for events, you want to use Taft House for any reason, or you have something for our newsletter.

If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be? Why?

Woodworking. I would love to work with my hands and have something tangible to show for my labor, instead of just a bunch of emails and digital files. I think it would be meditative. And it would allow me to exist inside of a housebuilding/restoration montage, like Ryan Gosling when he restored that old falling-down house in The Notebook.