We’re happy to introduce the newest addition to the Torsh team, Rachael Montz. Rachael joined Torsh in April as our Manager of Finance and Sales Support. Her critical role has kept her hands full and her desk peppered with sticky notes. So we were quite lucky to huddle up with Rachael to get her story of who she is, what she loves, and what brought her to Torsh.
So, Rachael, will you share with us what brought you to Torsh?
I have an accounting background and like the field. I have worked in education sales, selling books door-to-door and building talent, and the experience made me feel like I could do anything. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I was building character and pride, and I’m mentally tougher and stronger for it. When I found Torsh, I wanted an accounting role, but didn’t want to be in a typical “accounting job”. It seemed like a perfect fit- so I applied, and now I’m here.
Why education? You touched on selling educational materials. What interests you about working in education and tech?
Education will always be a part of my life. I enjoyed school and developed a love of learning. Education is big in my family: my mom and my aunts are all teachers. I even wanted to be a teacher myself when I was younger. Still, while at my job selling books, I learned how much everything is moving into the digital world. Now, my mom is actually the tech director at her school. So it looks like technology is where everything is going. Until recently, I didn’t know that New Orleans had such a large tech community. It’s cool to be a part of the “Silicon Bayou” and I like the fast pace of the tech environment. Plus, I feel like it’s better to jump on it than to be left behind.
Now that you’ve joined Torsh and jumped in to edtech, what do you like about it so far?
I’m learning so much of everything right now! I’m learning more about education in general, and about what it takes to develop our software. There’s always something to be done. There are all these little details that I would never have considered before, like “what should we name this tab?”. It’s really interesting, mind-blowing sometimes, how one little thing can affect the user experience. Another thing I like is the team. Since most of us are from different areas and backgrounds, you get to know a variety of perspectives. The welcoming environment is one of the reasons I enjoy coming to work each day.
What about outside of work? What do you like about the local life of New Orleans, Louisiana?
First, I love that I have my family and friends here. I’m a very family-oriented person and I’ve had the same group of friends since 2nd grade. Everyone in my family lives within a 20-mile radius of each other, and I’m happy that I get to spend time with them. I also love the culture here. There is always something to do, every weekend there is another festival (which is great since I like to go to music festivals and concerts). I’m a huge sports and football fan. And I’m a true GRITS (Girl Raised in the South), so it’s LSU and the Saints, all the way.
And where do you see yourself in five years? What advice would you give your future self?
I know that I want to be married, settle in, and have a family. I love traveling, too. So I also want to see the world. The advice I would give my future self is the same advice I would give my past self, or myself now. My advice: take risks. Don’t be normal. Everyone makes decisions based on fear. There are three basic fears that you can sort most others into: a fear of failure; a fear of missing out; and a fear of the unknown. One of my favorite teachers was a professor in college was exceptionally good at making classes interesting (even though it was tax law). But besides her classes, she pushed me to do my best and cared about what I was going to do after school. Though she recommended a position that would have been the typical “accounting job”, I took the education sales job. It was a bold turn into unknown territory for me, but I felt like it was right for me. It was an incredible experience in a lot of different ways. So don’t let fears make decisions for you. Don’t be scared to do something, just do it.
That’s powerful advice! Thanks for taking the time to sit down and talk with me. It was great to get to know you a little better. With motivation like this, we are going to accomplish so much, many more new releases to come!