As with many librarians, archivists, and information professionals, the road for my career has been a winding one, similar to the back roads I grew up traveling. Having been born and raised in a small Virginia town nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I never could have imagined the road that has led me to the career I love. A voracious reader all my life, I found solace in the quiet of libraries, public and in school. The high stacks, scent of old paper, sounds of whispers, and worlds gifted by words are a place of comfort for many. A desire for knowledge and helping others led me to a Bachelors in Psychology, but an interest in law and ethics meant specializing in Forensics. Work as a crisis counselor provided me with the realization of information access as a commonplace struggle which gave me a keen interest in information science, literacy, and management. My lifelong love of libraries and my newfound interest in information science, literacy, and management with a background of ethics and law relating to psychology twisted my road from seeking graduate programs in counseling to graduate programs in library and information science.

​

Upon acceptance to the University of South Florida's Master of Library & Information Science program, I obtained work as a library assistant at arguably the largest nursing college in the United States. Within months, I transitioned into an interim librarian role and soon became an Academic Librarian. During this time I continued through the MLIS program until graduation in May of 2021 and, again, the road to my career twisted as I found a new love in the technical aspects of information management, specifically digital curation, preservation, metadata, records management, and archiving. These technical skills blossomed through gains in learning management system creation, DAMS, CMS, and information organization standards. While I enjoyed academic librarianship, the policies, procedures, access restrictions, legalities, and technical needs were clearly where my skillset and interests resided. The nuances and attention to minute detail in archiving was where I found my road taking me which led to Clayton State University for a Master of Archival Studies in May of 2023 and National Certification as a Certified Archivist through the Academy of Certified Archivists in June of 2023. Through my education in archiving, with electives for law & ethics, metadata, digital curation, and digitization, my twisting road has led me to my current role as a government archivist and records manager. The pinnacle moment of my path has come full circle, and I am excited for where this road takes me next in my career as I hold strong passion for leadership, management, teaching, academia, research, and primary source access.

​

During my studies and my path I found a desire to share my knowledge through outreach and writing. As an adjunct faculty member, I enjoy teaching information literacy and technology to undergraduate students from a variety of backgrounds. I also teach core graduate level archival/records courses within my alma mater, CSU, in their MAS program. I look forward to the day I can continue to share my expertise at the graduate level with MLIS students. From early 2020 until January of 2023 I held a role as an information literacy chair to the Diversity Equity & Inclusion council at the nursing college where I was an academic librarian. I have published with the MLA through a 4-part piece in their newsletter. Also, I have authored a chapter in the book Antiracist Library and Information Science: Racial Justice and Community. Currently, I am an Information Studies Ph.D. student at Dominican University in their School of Information Studies where I am focusing on LIS with dissertation work on popular culture representation of archives, public perceptions, and power. I continue to seek opportunities for growth through publishing, teaching, and continuing my education. In addition to being a nationally Certified Archivist through the Academy of Certified Archivists I hope for next on my horizon to be certified through the Institute of Certified Records Managers as a Certified Records Manager and through the Society of American Archivists' as a Digital Archives Specialist. Please reach out if you would like to discuss publishing opportunities or talk archives!