“A core value that was a part of every class that I took was the user experience. Whether we’re working at a reference desk, working as a children’s librarian or working as a knowledge manager, we’re here for our user.”

Elizabeth Borghi
MLIS Graduate 2012
Redwood City, CA

After graduating from the San José State University School of Information, Elizabeth Borghi found gainful employment in Silicon Valley.

As an iSchool student with a full schedule, Elizabeth Borghi was thankful for the MLIS program’s flexibility. “It’s remarkably flexible,” Borghi says, “and for me, I simply wouldn’t have been able to get my MLIS if I didn’t have that flexibility.” Of course, the skills and practices instilled in her during her years at the School of Information were equally valuable to Borghi and her burgeoning career. Says Borghi, “I focused on two tracks: Emerging Technologies and Information Architecture Design and Retrieval. I was very focused on delivery of online information, and that meant I was taking classes in web design, vocabulary control, information architecture, and database design.” Doing all of this in an online environment at SJSU gave her hands-on experience creating complex instructional and presentation materials on a digital scale. To her, these courses felt tailor-made for the iSchool’s 100 percent online platform.

After graduating in 2012, Borghi quickly found substantive work in her field. The MLIS program was integral to her placement at Rocket Fuel, an ad technology company seated in the heart of Silicon Valley. “A core value that was a part of every class I took,” Borghi says, “was the user experience. Whether we’re working at a reference desk, as a children’s librarian, or in my role as a knowledge manager, we are always here for our users.” First and foremost, she carries this value with her to this day.

As part of the School of Information’s video series MLIS Alumni at Work, which highlights iSchool graduates in their workplaces, Borghi shared with the community her experiences and responsibilities in her role as Knowledge Infrastructure Manager at Rocket Fuel:

Since the recording of this video, Borghi has moved up the proverbial ladder at Rocket Fuel, from knowledge infrastructure manager, to enablement and training manager, to director of enablement and training, the position she works in today. Regardless of what position she’s working in, Borghi always wants to be helping people. “I’m able to help people all day long,” she says. “And that’s really what attracted me to [this position] and getting an MLIS degree. It allows me to help people, empower them, work with information and use all my tech skills.” As long as she’s aiding those who need it in her career, Borghi will remain more than content in her professional life.

This penchant for being helpful is inherent in Borghi’s character, as it is with all information professionals, but it was only allowed to truly flourish after her experiences with the students and faculty at the iSchool. “To this day,” she says, “I still, several years out from graduation,” says Borghi, “count a number of them as friends or mentors, and that’s been hugely valuable to me even in just helping me choose between multiple job offers.” For Borghi, being able to talk to somebody with more experience and wisdom than her helped make all the difference in finding direction as a student and as an information professional. Borghi’s experience shows that the MLIS program at SJSU doesn’t end with the degree. It’s a lifelong experience. Says Borghi, “Thanks to this program, I have lasting mentors and friends all over the world.”

For more about life after the MLIS, check out Senior Museum Coordinator’s Career Path Began Right at the iSchool and Graduate Erin Berman Uses Her MLIS Skills for Innovation featuring Beth Atlas and Erin Berman from this video series.