Published: March 23, 2016 by Allison Randall Gatt

From time to time, iSchool faculty and staff receive thoughtful, unsolicited letters from alumni and current students who want to share their thoughts about the program and its impact on their lives and careers.
Lea Takigawa currently works in Los Angeles as a document and data analyst in connection with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she started as an intern. Takigawa, who graduates this May, 2016 hasn’t always been so sure of her direction, though. Originally, she worked as a lawyer for a number of years, but found that what she really liked about her law job was the recordkeeping, cataloging and organizing information. She debated whether or not to make a career switch for several years, but finally decided to take the plunge and apply to the iSchool. It’s a good thing she did, because her passion for records and information won her an ARMA scholarship last fall! The following letter is to instructor Dr. Robert Boyd sharing her good news and thanking him for his encouragement.

Hello Dr. Boyd!
I hope this email finds you well! Just minutes ago, I received amazing news that I was awarded the AIEF Graduate Scholarship from ARMA! I wanted to share the news with you as soon as possible because I truly believe it would not have been possible without your fantastic support.

In all honesty, though the funds will be a tremendous help, winning this scholarship also gives me a sense of profound personal satisfaction that I made the right decision in changing my career from Law to Library and Information Science. It was a difficult decision but I now feel bolstered by this great honor.

I cannot thank you enough, Dr. Boyd, and I hope that if there is any way I can be of assistance to you in the future, you will not hesitate to contact me. I will continue to keep in touch.

Warmest regards,
Lea

It is letters like these that demonstrate the School of Information’s impact on students every day and how its program, faculty, and community help build tomorrow’s leaders. Says Boyd of Takigawa, “You make us proud!” 

For more about amazing and unique individuals at the iSchool, be sure to check out these posts:
A Day in the Life of California State Librarian Greg Lucas

Letter to the iSchool from Alumnus Eddy Hamelin

Letter to the iSchool from Basia Delawska-Elliott