Community Profiles: Alumni
Alumna and Former Student Assistant Values Connections Forged at the San José State University School of Information
“I use many of the skills that I learned during my time working with Dr. Bernier and my fellow student assistants in my current position. Including, running virtual meetings online and using project management tools to managing various projects through the committee work that I do. I also learned a lot about working collaboratively with people in different geographic areas.”
Joy Rodriguez
MLIS Graduate 2012
Fresno, CA
President of the CLA and iSchool Alumna Strongly Advocates for the LIS Profession
“It really helps you understand the bigger picture, keep an eye on the profession, and the issues that all types of libraries are facing. We’re in a field that is constantly being threatened, so it’s important to know when and where we need to advocate for our profession and how to communicate our relevancy in our communities.”
Dolly Goyal
MLIS Graduate ‘07
Sunnyvale, CA
Alumna and Former Student Assistant Strives to Empower the Public Every Day
“For me, I love being able to empower people the most. Many people who come in don’t realize the full range of services we offer or how to really find what it is that they are looking for. Being able to show local students how the databases work or helping a patron understand how to download a library e-book is a thrill for me.”
Julie Whitehead
MLIS Graduate 2013
Dumont, NJ
iSchool Alumna and Academic Law Librarian Continues to Evolve Her Career
“I selected SJSU because of its flexibility, because I wanted to be at a California school, and because once I made the decision to transition out of practicing law, I wanted to get started fast and jump on the next stage of my career. The convenience of online education – I could stay in LA, where I’d been living for quite a while, I could travel some, I could do internships where I wanted, etc. – was a big factor.”
Elyse Meyers
MLIS Graduate 2013
Los Angeles, CA
Passion for records and digital preservation led MLIS graduate Jennifer Mundy to work as a records officer and electronic records management analyst
“I found what would work best for me was working full time at a library or archives while attending an online MLIS program, and the MLIS program at SJSU came highly recommended.”
Jennifer Mundy
MLIS Graduate 2008
Multnomah County, OR
Diligent MLIS Grad Serves as Regional Director for Network of Regional Medical Libraries
“I found every one of the instructors [at SJSU] to be intelligent, knowledgeable and excited about the field. I especially found many of the adjunct professors who were actively working in the field helped to share the “real world” of librarianship and added to the experience.”
Eve Melton
MLIS Graduate 2001
Stockton, CA
Recent MARA Alumna Fast-Tracks the Certified Records Manager Exam with Her iSchool Studies
“Reflecting on my testing experience, I recognized that the courses I had taken during the MARA program at the iSchool had prepared me with broad AND specific knowledge – keys to success on the [CRM] exam but also in working in the records and information management field in general.”
Lauren Aiko Kelly
MARA Graduate 2016
Multnomah County, OR
iSchool Experiences Help Another MLIS Alumna find Dream Job
“Perhaps the most significant lesson I learned was that being my authentic self is the most important aspect of professional growth and development.”
Jessica Gilbert Redman
MLIS Graduate 2016
Grand Forks, ND
iSchool Alumnus Climbs His Way to a CEO Position at a Sizable British Columbia Library
“The MLIS program seemed the perfect program for transitioning into more senior leadership positions given its focus on leadership and management oriented coursework. The fact that I could do it part time and remotely was also a factor, as I kept working full time in my then current job as Director of Information Technology and Support Services at Fraser Valley Regional Library.”
Scott Hargrove
MLIS Graduate 2010
British Columbia, Canada
MLIS Graduate Helping to Archive the Immortal Work of Charles M. Schulz
“My love of history led me down the archives pathway of classes. I chose SJSU’s iSchool because it is ALA accredited, and having an online program was important for me since I was working full time and needed to ‘attend classes’ at odd hours.”
Jennifer Pickens
MLIS Graduate 2014
Santa Rosa, CA
MARA Graduate Uses New Partnership Between SJSU and ICRM to Quickly Obtain CRA Certification
“SJSU’s MARA program curriculum covered every area of records management and I particularly like that the curriculum is continually evaluated and updated to align with the job market and emerging trends in the records profession. The program also really helped me to embrace the changes brought about [in my career] as a result of emerging technologies. The program offered tools to develop solutions that can be used in any industry.”
Ossie Thomas
MARA Alumna Graduated 2016
Memphis, TN
iSchool Alumnus Ready to Navigate the Vast Archival Field
“I love the fact that all of my professors have experience in the field, whether it’s records administration or the archival field. They help me understand what experiences they bring to the program and how I could eventually apply it to my future career.”
Nikolay Zherebnenkov
MARA Alumnus Graduated 2017
Castro Valley, California
Research-Savvy iSchool Alumna Graduates With A Career Waiting For Her
“Everyone was so vibrant and excited about the paths they were pursuing, I knew the iSchool would provide me a more engaging and varied MLIS experience.”
Tamarack Hockin
MLIS Graduate 2017
British Columbia, Canada
A Post-Master’s Certificate from the iSchool Refreshes Dedicated Librarian’s MLIS and Creative Spirit
“What bothered me about other schools, to speak frankly, was that I bet if you looked at their course catalog from 1987, 2007, to today, one wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The classes were dated. Even SJSU’s foundation classes are on par with issues and topics libraries are experiencing right now.”
Jennifer Stencel
May 2017 Post-Master’s Certificate Graduate
Akron, OH
Forward Thinking Archaeologist Graduates from the iSchool with Advanced Certificate in Digital Assets
“Real-world and business-like scenarios were often used for course content, which was immensely helpful. The readings were always relevant and I felt that all the assignments created an essential toolkit for us to use later on in our professional lives.”
Kaely Colligan
Advanced Certificate Graduate 2017
Davis, California
MLIS Graduate Finds Success Through a Network Cultivated at the iSchool
“There was such a large selection of courses available, and I would have taken more classes if I could have, for sure. I remember graduating and thinking, ‘Man, there are still so many classes I wish I could take.”
Laurentia “Lauren” Romaniuk
2014 MLIS Graduate
San Francisco, CA
iSchool Alumna Champions Information Accessibility in her Life and Career
“While I didn’t know everything, I was comforted by absolute theories, facts, laws: things that may or may not be refuted at a later time as it is with all types of information and content.”
Tess (Teresita) McCarthy
MLIS Graduate 2012
San Francisco, CA
Santa Clara County Deputy Librarian and iSchool Alumnus Reflects on His Time at SJSU
“I received all these tools in the program, but I also received an introduction to what kind of caliber your work has to achieve in the field.”
Christopher Brown
MLIS Graduate 2010
Santa Clara, California
Liaison Librarian and iSchool Graduate Appears on Jeopardy!
“One of the main factors in choosing to apply to the iSchool was that I would be able to curate my own learning experience so that I could engage with topics and areas of study that were new to me and didn’t repeat my previous education and job experience.”
Adam Weissengruber
MLIS Graduate, 2014
Toronto, Ontario
iSchool Alumna Uses Her MLIS Skills to Further Evolve Her Career
“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