Community Profiles
Community Profiles
Get to know our students, alumni and instructors by reading about their backgrounds, interests, professional goals, favorite courses, accomplishments, careers, and more fascinating experiences. These stories cover a wide range of topics and showcase the talents of our vibrant global community.
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
iSchool Student and Artist Dedicates Herself to Cultivating the Relationship Between the Arts and Information Sciences
“I looked at the way that Winnipeg artists gather and encounter information and found that artists and scientists have more overlap than many people would guess. They both seek out data, create organizational systems for retrieval, and dole out information for their networks to encounter as well.”
Kira Koop
iSchool Student Graduating 2018
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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
MARA Student Receives Scholarship from ARMA International for his Achievements
“The [MARA] degree provides unmatched versatility, allowing me the opportunity to pursue advancement in records management and archive related professions.”
James Carpenter
iSchool Student Graduating 2019
Miami, FL
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
MLIS Student and Public Librarian Amassing Skills for Her Continued LIS Future
“While I feel like I had learned a lot of skills on the job, I ultimately wanted to learn the theories of practice behind those skills. I also wanted the opportunity to learn from and interact with experienced leaders in the field of library and information science. I feel like this program has really provided that so well, particularly for being an online program.”
Tiffany Harkleroad
iSchool Student Graduating 2017
Butler, Pennsylvania
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
iStudent Blog Writer Looks Ahead to Life After the MLIS
“[This work] gave me a reason to pursue all the avenues that this program and the LIS field are about while also connecting with professionals in the field and professors, students and alumni at SJSU. It completely opened up the program to me.”
Allison Randall-Gatt
MLIS Student Graduating May 2017
Sonoma County, 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 Student Sees the LIS Field as a Perfect Amalgam of Anthropology and Information
“I wanted to be part of a program that would not only be accessible but challenging as well. I quickly found that the iSchool was a perfect fit for my lifestyle.”
Mariko Baba
MLIS Student Graduating 2017
San Francisco, CA
Versatile and Storied MLIS Student Finds Where He Belongs in the LIS Field
“Now that I’m enrolled in the program and enjoying it tremendously, I’m especially interested in the way libraries and in particular public libraries are helping to bridge the technological divide in some very genius ways.”
Jakobe Illich
MLIS Student Graduating 2018
Phoenix, AZ
iSchool Instructor Expands Her Dedicated Service in the LIS Field
“I think what I really enjoy [about SJSU] is the opportunity to get a feel for the students in a way that keeps me motivated, engaged and current with everything that’s happening now. The students all bring a fresh perspective and dynamic approach to the field.”
Patricia Wong
iSchool Instructor
Santa Monica, California
Experienced MLIS Graduate Finds Her Way Back to Public Libraries as Director
“Working in the library and information science field is a wonderful mix of learning new things every day and serving the community.”
Kimberly Partanen
MLIS Graduate 2015
Castlegar, British Columbia
Graduate Erin Berman Uses Her MLIS Skills for Innovation
“I had really strong professors. They were always there when I had a question for them, and they provided challenging work for me to do. Most of them had actually worked in libraries before or were currently working in libraries, so they were able to give everyone real-world applications for everything.”
Erin Berman
MLIS Graduate 2011
San Jose, CA