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 led to specializing in Forensics. Work as a crisis counselor led me to the realization of information access as a commonplace struggle which led to a keen interest in information management. My lifelong love of libraries and my newfound interest in information 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.

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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 a virtual 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, 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 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 ultimate role as a government archivist. The pinnacle moment of finding the path having come full circle.

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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. 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 Information Management. I continue to seek opportunities for growth through publishing, teaching, and continuing my education. I am a nationally Certified Archivist through the Academy of Certified Archivists and next on my horizon are certifications through the Society of American Archivists' for Digital Archives Specialist and Arrangement & Description. Please reach out if you would like to discuss publishing opportunities or talk archives!