Staff Profiles

Meet the Staff: Trevor McCulloch

Photo of Trevor McCulloch

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

Trevor McCulloch
Student Affairs Administrator
Department of English Language and Literature

What do you like most about your job?

Talking to undergraduate students about their interests and what they’re enjoying in their classes. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and I love hearing firsthand how they’re exploring their passions. I also work alongside some wonderful administrative staff and faculty—everyone has been so kind and welcoming!

What was the last good book you read?

Patricia Highsmith’s Edith’s Diary. Highsmith is a favorite of mine, and I’ve been working my way through all her novels. I would never call her vision of the world warm or optimistic (she was known in life to be quite misanthropic!), but I find her books perversely comforting. Though not quite a thriller, the title character succumbs to her pathologies through her banal life, much like many of Highsmith’s characters, who discover their capacity for violence and madness in the everyday. Anyone can be a psychopath! This probably says more about me than it does about Miss Highsmith . . .

You might work with me if . . .

You need any information regarding undergraduate studies, course scheduling, or general information about the English department.

Have you come across someone or something recently—like an activity, object, or idea—that’s been inspiring or uplifting?

I’ve recently been engaging (or reengaging) with the films of Chantal Akerman and catching up on some blind spots in her filmography. Her personal history isn’t the sunniest, and her films are often steeped in alienation and loneliness. But in their formal beauty and generous humanity, they search for connection and meaning while grappling with the difficulty of a world that often seems to limit connection. Seeing the films actively work through these problems has been poignant, and even at their bleakest, they represent a powerful search for truth and meaning.

Meet the Staff: Anna Hornsby

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

Anna Hornsby
Department Administrator
Classics Department
 

What do you like most about your job?

My educational background and interests are well aligned with the Classics Department, with an MA in Archaeology focused on Viking Age Scandinavia. So it is nice to be back around faculty and students who are teaching and researching in areas I am also interested in.
 

What was the last good book you read?

I finally read Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis over the break. It's gorgeous, and I highly recommend it.
 

You might work with me if …

Your department works closely with Classics, overlapping with courses or events amongst our departments.
 

What are you looking forward to in 2025 and why?

In August of 2024, I moved from Austin, Texas, to Chicago. I’ve lived in several states and a couple of countries over the years, and so while large moves aren’t new, this one was a part of a bigger life-changing experience. With it also came my move from The University of Austin to UChicago!

2025 will be my first full year in Chicago, so I’m looking forward to exploring the city more, watching it change with the seasons, and finding new things to try (like the Silent Book Club and Queer Soup Kitchen at Dorothy’s).

Meet the Staff: Eduardo Suh-Chavez

Headshot of Eduardo Suh-Chavez

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

Eduardo Suh-Chavez
Business Operations Manager
Office of Language Assessment
University of Chicago Language Center

What do you like most about your job?

It would be the people I work with. If I had to use one word to describe those individuals, it would be “innovative.” We support one another in ways I find to be rare in the typical workplace. The Chicago Language Center was founded by strong advocates of language learning, which is essential to everything we do in the Office of Language Assessment. This type of advocacy and collaboration truly fosters a culture of openness and innovation that I find exciting and sustainable.

What was the last good book you read?

I just finished The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. The author is a wonderful storyteller. However, it does include some disturbing scenes. If you ever wondered just how difficult it was to live as a teenage girl in rural Alaska in the 1970s, I’d highly recommend it.

You might work with me if …

You are a language instructor, a language learner, or just a language enthusiast. While I mainly focus on language assessment, my job reaches to nearly every department on campus and beyond. Whether I’m reaching out for academic texts in your discipline to build an exam or collaborating to expand our innovative language programs, you’ll likely hear from me at some point or another.

What's the most unexpected skill or hobby you picked up recently?

Running. And trust me when I say this is a skill. I’ve hated running my entire life despite being physically active. During the past year, however, I decided to train for a marathon. Through this experience, I’ve learned a lot about my body and mental strength. Through learning how to run long distance, I have discovered many lifelong lessons, and I’m still just beginning my journey. It is such an admirable sport, and I am so lucky to have found it.

Meet the Staff: Sarah Hill

Photo of Sarah Hill in Istanbul

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

Sarah Hill
Department Manager
Middle Eastern Studies

What do you like most about your job?

I like so many things about my job. I like that I get to do something different every day, and that I work in so many areas of the department and with many different people. I find it to be very engaging, and I’ve learned so much in the two and half years I’ve been here. The most rewarding part of my job, however, is working with students. I like helping a student overcome an administrative hurdle, solve an issue, or just celebrate their success with them. It’s wonderful being able to see students grow into scholars and know I’ve played even a small role in helping them get there.

What was the last good book you read?

I read Agatha Christe’s Murder on the Orient Express recently, which I liked all right. I thought I was smart and had solved the mystery, but then I remembered I had seen the movie a few years ago. I think the last book I enjoyed reading was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I thought it was going to be a silly vacation read, but I ended up really loving it. The characters were so likeable, and the story was captivating.  

You might work with me if …

You’re an Middle Eastern Studies student and have questions about your degree milestones or need help navigating an administrative issue. Or, if you’re a prospective student or want to take courses in our department. You might also work with me if you’re a faculty member and need administrative support. And if you’re a department administrator, I’d encourage you to work with me. When I first began my position, I found navigating the university both overwhelming and challenging.

Each department does things differently, but I think we can all be a good resource and support system for each other.

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