During my time at LIU, I learned the foundations of being both a librarian and an archivist. I completed many cataloging assignments using various standards such as AACR2, EAD, RDA, and XML, as well as subject analysis and authority control, giving me the building blocks to create detailed archival records using DACS (examples of these assignments can be found in my MLIS portfolio, under Goal 2). I was also able to conduct hours of research on topics affecting the library and information world. Topics of this research include crowdsourcing, security and digitization, and detailed bibliographic research. Additionally, I learned the underlying ethics and standards of the profession through various case studies of hypothetical problems when dealing with patrons, and how to respond appropriately according to ethical codes (examples of these assignments can be found under Goal 1.) I absorbed knowledge in every class and maintained a 4.0 GPA. I enjoyed completing my assignments, which not only taught me how to be an information professional, but also illuminated the career path where I can put my talents to their best use.

I began my graduate studies at the CUNY Graduate Center, where I earned a Master of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, with a concentration of Approaches to Modernity. This program allowed me to take what I had learned as an undergraduate and contextualize its role in modern Western history. While exploring the symbiotic cultural influences of Great Britain and the United States, I became particularly interested the First World War and the various ways it subverted societal norms. I embarked on an immersive research process that included touring the Western Front in Belgium and France to visually witness the physical scars on the landscape and reading copious primary and academic sources to understand the philosophical and psychological repercussions of the war. This research culminated in a thesis about women serving on the frontlines in medical capacities. I chose to use the novel, Not So Quiet…, by Helen Zenna Smith, as my lens through which to explore how mechanized warfare impacted those women who saw the carnage firsthand. Entitled The Bodies, Minds, Desires and Scorn of Britain’s “Stepdaughters of War,” the thesis explores how the war impacted women’s physicality, mentality, sexuality, and animosity.

With a major in American Culture Studies, and a minor in Popular Culture, I earned my Bachelor of Arts from Bowling Green State University, graduating with honors. My cumulative senior capstone project explored how The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert changed the way news was reported to younger demographics during the George W. Bush administration. Because of this research and overall academic excellence, I received the outstanding senior award for my department.