{"id":42325,"date":"2019-05-23T08:40:39","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T12:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=42325"},"modified":"2019-05-23T09:01:22","modified_gmt":"2019-05-23T13:01:22","slug":"staff-spotlight-4-sarah-gant-is-helpdesk-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/staff-spotlight-4-sarah-gant-is-helpdesk-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Spotlight #4: Sarah Gant, IS Helpdesk manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

This occasional series features Eastern Mennonite University staff members. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Read Staff Spotlight <\/span><\/i>#1 about Lynn Veurink<\/span><\/i><\/a>, <\/span><\/i>#2 about Vanessa Derrow<\/span><\/i><\/a>, and <\/span><\/i>#3 about Betty Lee<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sarah Gant with her nametag, made for her by a colleague. “We give each other little gifts,” she said, of IT department colleagues. “We’re like cats. You never know what you’ll find on your desk when you come in to work.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sarah Gant, the helpdesk manager for Information Systems, was born in Iowa City, but soon after moved to Decorah, Iowa. When she was seven her family lived for a year in Indiana, Pennsylvania; they moved to Harrisonburg when she was 14.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Nickname:<\/b><\/h3>\n

My coworkers refer to me as \u201cSusan K. Grant ESQ.\u201d More often than not, my last name gets mistaken for \u201cGrant,\u201d but I\u2019ve also gotten \u201cGnat\u201d or \u201cGiant.\u201d Someone came in to deliver an item and asked if \u201cSusan Grant\u201d was in the office. I most likely said something cheeky like, \u201cThere\u2019s no one here by that name\u201d but then I told him it was me. Someone else once wrote an email to me in this position and addressed me as \u201cMr. Gant.\u201d Other names and abbreviations were quickly added, but what stuck was \u201cSusan K. Grant ESQ,\u201d \u201cSusan\u201d for short. Jordan Leaman even made me a name plate out of keyboard keys, which sits on my desk.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Professional highlights:<\/b><\/h3>\n

Since graduating from college and before coming to work at EMU, I had two jobs that were true highlights for me. The first was at the Frontier Culture Museum, where as a costumed interpreter I dressed in period costume and interpreted the history of people who settled in this area centuries ago. I had wanted to work at a living history museum since I was little, and I loved that every day there was different. I got to work with a variety of animals and plants and interacted with people from all over the world. It was one of the best jobs I\u2019ve ever had. <\/span><\/p>\n

The second highlight was when I worked with a kindergarten class as a teacher\u2019s assistant. Working with children is a joy for me. I love that they are authentically themselves, which allowed me to feel like I could be authentically myself as well. Every day I was with them, I learned something new. Getting up and going to that \u201cjob\u201d never felt like work to me. In fact, I felt like I got to go spend time with friends. For awhile after that, I considered pursuing an education degree, but was led in a different direction. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Path to working at EMU:<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>
In honor of colleague Jordan Leaman’s obsession with Bugles (white cheddar, especially), Sarah Gant decided to frame a bag. “I cleaned it first,” she said. “Then Jennifer Fawley got him into Whales, so I framed that, too.” Leaman keeps the decor by his desk, though Gant thinks he is too kind to throw it out. “I think looking at it makes him hungry,” she said, apologetically. “He is obsessed with snacks.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two years ago, I needed a summer job. Jenni Piper asked if I would come to the Helpdesk and help take the phone calls. I had only planned to stay until the elementary school was in session again, but the helpdesk manager position opened up, I applied and got the job. My background is not in computer science, but I\u2019ve had a lot of experience with customer service and people skills, which come in handy when helping people across campus \u2013 and when managing the 12 students working in the office throughout the school year. I field the questions that come in for the techs, and am now able to do some troubleshooting on my own for certain things. <\/span><\/p>\n

When I first started in the position, we all joked here at the office that I could maybe set up a little museum here in the office and \u201cinterpret the history of technology through the years\u201d \u2013 which I could still do, if anyone is interested in having that available on campus. Just kidding. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Family:<\/b><\/h3>\n

I admire each member of my family and am grateful for their love and support in my life. My mom Lori and sister Anna work on campus, too, and I find that to be a very special thing! My dad Ed is an amazing cellist and works in the music department at James Madison University, and plays at many different events and concerts in the area. My older sister Becky works at a dental surgeon\u2019s office, and her son Levi is a big part of my life. I was his nanny for his first year and created a special bond with him. He is now six and I can\u2019t believe it! He will be undergoing heart surgery at the end of May. I\u2019m looking forward to when his heart is healthy and he can continue to be the wonderful kid that he is! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And finally: Which of the following about Sarah is a lie?<\/b><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. I\u2019ve broken my leg, arm and wrist.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. My favorite meat is goat.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. I would love to learn how to scuba dive.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This occasional series features Eastern Mennonite University staff members. Read Staff Spotlight #1 about Lynn Veurink, #2 about Vanessa Derrow, and #3 about Betty Lee. Sarah Gant, the helpdesk manager ... read more about Staff Spotlight #4: Sarah Gant, IS Helpdesk manager<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17562,8845,5642],"tags":[],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-42325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digest","category-emu-at-lancaster","category-faculty-and-staff","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nStaff Spotlight #4: Sarah Gant, IS Helpdesk manager - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/staff-spotlight-4-sarah-gant-is-helpdesk-manager\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Staff Spotlight #4: Sarah Gant, IS Helpdesk manager - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This occasional series features Eastern Mennonite University staff members. 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