Published: January 12, 2019 by Havilah Steinman

My name is Havilah, and I am your new iStudent blog writer. I am honored to take over this assistantship from Priscilla Ameneyro, who heralded wonderful content on the blog for over a year! I reside in Oceanside, CA, have been in the MLIS program since Spring 2018, and I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed.

I remember feeling very lost my first few weeks in the program. What helped me get on my virtual feet was attending multiple meetups hosted by the wonderful peer mentors of INFO 203 Online Learning. I’m now on the other side of that journey as a peer mentor myself! I became plugged in at the program very quickly, and I believe much of that is due to intentionality, attending virtual events, and the obsessive reading of email announcements. Take heart if you’re feeling overwhelmed at this point and feel free to submit questions in the comments. I enjoy hearing from the readers of the iStudent blog.

This semester I am taking INFO 230 Issues in Academic Libraries and working as a content editor at the Student Research Journal in addition to being a peer mentor. I’m on the academic librarianship track and have taken all my required classes including INFO 285 Applied Research Methods. One class I enjoyed last semester is INFO 254 Information Literacy and Learning with Dr. Shelly Buchanan. I was able to teach an instructional session to my fellow students and now have a firm grasp on educational theory, which is an important part of academic librarianship. I look forward to covering aspects of the iSchool program that will be helpful to you and enrich your experience. For now, I am excited to continue an iStudent Blog series that began with the iStudent Blog writer, Allison Randall Gatt. Please enjoy A Day in the Life of an iSchool student, featuring yours truly.

My Typical Day as an iSchool Student 

7 a.m. My alarm goes off and I get up to enjoy the day! I’m a huge breakfast person, and don’t feel awake until I’ve had something to eat. Tea in the morning is a tradition my mother instilled in my sister and I, and I typically enjoy  Earl Grey with a little cream. I spend some quiet time by myself and then head out into the normally sunshine filled day! 

8 a.m. I have a rotating exercise routine so I’ll swim at our public pool, go for a walk, or run on the beach. I enjoy listening to audiobooks while walking or running, and also play Pokemon Go! I typically choose fiction books, and get lost in the story while taking in the scenery around me.

10 a.m. I get settled behind my laptop, check my personal and school emails, and access the INFO 203 course site. I haven’t had a desk in several years, and enjoy the ability to sit and work wherever I want too. There is a danger of becoming distracted when there are things at the house that need to get done, but I normally turn on a Piano Guys Pandora station and manage to focus up!

12 p.m. I take a break to eat lunch. Can you tell that I love food yet? I typically will still be “plugged in” to our virtual world with my phone next to me. This is a distinction from the mornings where I do my best to be intentional about being unplugged.

1 p.m. Depending on deadlines I’ll switch from classes to my work on the iStudent blog. I also volunteer at Carlsbad City Library on Tuesdays, so I head down there once a week. Those afternoons are filled with the homework of students I tutor. I must confess my favorite times are when students read aloud to me and I help with the longer words and do vocabulary work with them. Those are the times when my cheeks hurt from grinning so much when I head home! I also lead a book club hosted on Facebook, and I spend time posing questions and responding to posts.

6 p.m. Family dinners are a mainstay of my week, and I also spend time with my boyfriend. If it’s a particularly heavy week with my workload I’ll continue to work on my assignments. If it’s not, I grab a book I’ve checked out from my library and relax. I also keep up with my own creative projects, which include a personal blog and numerous scrapbooks. My friendships are still a huge priority even with balancing work and school, and some nights are devoted to spending time with them. I’m an extrovert, and being with people in person is a huge source of my energy.

And there you have it! Check back weekly for updated posts on all things iSchool.