Where are they now? – with Sarah Burch

Sarah Burch sharing her story at a church for Women’s Fellowship Day. Courtesy of Burch.

by R.J. HUNT
Editor

The purpose of “Where are they now” is to find WCC alumni to learn about their time at the school and how WCC helped them navigate their career paths.

Sarah Burch was someone who hated school, but going to Washtenaw made her fall in love with it. Sarah’s journey at Washtenaw began when she was still in high school. She came to the college as a student of Washtenaw Technical Middle College. In her previous schools, Sarah was miserable and grew a huge disliking for school. “I just didn’t fit in and it was so cliquey,” said Burch. Burch felt going to WTMC was a better fit for her than the traditional high school route. She appreciated the opportunity to take college courses and the diversity the campus provided.

“WCC is where I feel like I really fell in love with learning,” said Burch. WCC allowed her to have more independence than her previous high schools. For example, her previous schools gave her so many restrictions, whereas WCC allowed her to pick her own courses and find the schedule that worked best for her. Burch felt like the independence she was able to develop was very valuable for her future. She loved the atmosphere as she could tell her professors were passionate about what they taught.

During her time at WCC, Burch was a very active student. “WCC is such a safe place to try something new,” said Burch. She was a membership chair for Phi Theta Kappa. She felt she was chosen for this role because of how passionate and engaging she can be. Her roles for PTK included leading outreach efforts, creating diversity, and networking. A memorable moment that came from being a part of PTK was attending a conference in Florida that also gave her the opportunity to go to Disney World that PTK paid for.

Sarah was also the president of the African American student group on campus. Being in that community and developing her leadership skills was huge for Burch. She felt that her time in the program allowed her to be strategic and become a visionary. Burch was influential in leading conversations about black love, and healthy relationships. She remained influential in the field of organizing events as she put together a voter registration drive as well as putting together a benefit concert featuring local artists to help Haiti after their earthquake in 2010. “I think the (student group) was an amazing opportunity to share black culture and black hisotry with the campus community,” said Burch.

Burch with her grandmothers at her graduation ceremony for earning her Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University. Courtesy of Burch.

At WCC, Burch was able to learn the language of Arabic, so Middle Eastern politics, culture, and history gained her attention. She became fascinated by international politics and wanted to learn more about the different relationships countries have with each other. She then started eyeing a career of possibly being an ambassador for the United Nations. This led her to transfer after earning her Associates from WCC to Eastern Michigan University and earn her Bachelor of science degree in Political Science and Government in 2012. Along with earning her Bachelor’s, she earned her Masters of Arts degree in History from EMU in 2018.

After her undergrad, Burch wanted to study internationally and go into the Peace Corps. She ended up feeling compelled to change her plans. She gave birth to her son, and then her and her son’s father divorced when their son was two years old. She didn’t want to leave Michigan because she didn’t want to leave her son behind and wanted to be able to co-parent with her son’s father. This later became a blessing in disguise for Burch. This led her to find a path where she could stay in Michigan with her son, along with doing something that she is passionate about.

Sarah taking a selfie with her son, Isaiah. Courtesy of Burch.

Sarah began working at the University of Michigan as an admissions counselor and career coach. She realized how poorly funded the K-12 system is. She noticed how every student was not given the same opportunity that could prepare them for higher education. “WCC lit a fire in me to care about these things,” said Burch.

Currently, Sarah is working on getting her Masters of Education in Educational Equity and Social Transform at the University of Michigan. Burch just recently started a new job at Plante Moran, a tax accounting firm, as a senior DEI consultant.

“It’s crazy that so much of what and who I am now and the work that I do started at WCC. I don’t know who I’d be or what I would be doing if I hadn’t had the opportunity to be supported, along with falling in love with learning, like I did at WCC,” said Burch.

Burch’s position with Plante Moran is a new role with the campus recruitment team. Burch’s tasks include recruiting students to the company. While working for this new position, Burch plans on building relationships with HBCUs (Historical Black Colleges and Universities), community colleges, and high schools. “I’m still figuring out many things…it’s a tension between being happy and uncomfortable being in this new role that is still being defined. But I’m feeling very supported by the team and the environment is healthy,” said Burch.

Sarah is not closing the door on a chance to go to school again to earn her doctorate. One day Sarah would love to teach as a professor. “I love being on college campuses, working with students, and having thought provoking conversations.” Her hope is to be one of those professors who fires up students to fulfill their potential and feel confident, the same way her professors at WCC did for her.