Graduate Student Spotlight

Imagine having the opportunity to work with student assistants over the course of several years. In IT, continuing student assistants provide an edge because they can take on complex and multi-phased project work. A case in point is one of our most dedicated and hardest working graduate assistants, Christian deTorres. Over the course of three years, Christian has effectively managed nearly all aspects of our roll-out of Wikispaces, from “soup to nuts” as Director Apurva Mehta would put it. By serving as an integral member of the Instructional Support team, Christian has gained real-world experience on this and other projects as an adept system administrator, a natural hands-on trainer to both groups and individuals, and a reliable support specialist. In addition, he has found numerous ways to interface with faculty, staff, and students to problem-solve on multiple issues. Christian’s knowledge and experience with emerging technologies contributes in meaningful ways to make the Digital Learning Studio a “living laboratory” rather than a row of desks and computer terminals waiting for the next software tool to come of age. All these technical and interpersonal experiences are complimentary to his education at UMass Boston, where is completing his requirements for a Masters of Education in Instructional Design. By having students like Christian in our midst, we have truly benefited as an IT organization. Our hope is that Christian and others like him are able to enrich their educational experience through ongoing and dedicated work in IT.