Published: April 23, 2025 by Gabe Farmer

Alyssa Galvan’s pride in her Mexican American identity is a thread that runs through her career and her aspirations. Raised in a family where Spanish was spoken with elders and cultural traditions were closely held, she always carried that sense of connection and responsibility. “My whole family’s Mexican, and my husband’s Mexican,” she said. “I love my culture.”

That pride found space to grow even in her tech career. At Meta, she was involved in the company’s Latinx employee resource group and eventually stepped into a leadership role. There, she helped create opportunities for colleagues to talk openly about the challenges and strengths that come with navigating professional spaces from diverse cultural perspectives. “Your culture can impact the way that you show up at work,” she explained. “Things that are normal for you in your own culture are sometimes in conflict with white corporate America.”

That awareness now informs how she envisions her future as a librarian: serving communities that reflect her own background and values.

Now living in Whittier, a neighborhood in Southeast Los Angeles where Spanish is part of daily life, Alyssa feels more connected than ever to the people she hopes to serve. “That’s the community that I want to be helping,” she said. “That’s the community that I want to be connecting with resources.”

A Career Pivot with Purpose

In 2023, Alyssa’s role in tech came to an unexpected end when she was part of widespread layoffs at Meta, one of many professionals impacted during a wave of industry-wide restructuring. The news was jarring, as it often is, and brought with it a mix of uncertainty and introspection. But in the quiet that followed, Alyssa found herself reevaluating what she truly wanted from her work life.

After ten years of writing educational content for platforms like Facebook and Instagram, she began to think about what had consistently brought her joy. Outside the bounds of her job title, she was the person others turned to for help navigating systems, writing resumes, booking vaccine appointments or simply finding the right resources. These moments, which she had always done freely and informally, started to point toward a more intentional career path, one grounded in service and community connection.

Although Alyssa hadn’t originally planned to pursue librarianship, the seeds of that path were always present. While her tech work kept her busy, she found herself gravitating toward opportunities to support others. Over time, she realized these were the moments where she felt most like herself, doing work that felt meaningful.

Returning to SJSU 

Now in her second semester of the MLIS program, Alyssa has hit the ground running by continuing to offer a guiding hand to those who need it. A San José State alum with a background in English and creative writing, she has returned as a remote writing tutor, a role she held during her undergraduate years. That ability to help others communicate and connect keeps her going.

She also brings her unique experience from the tech world, where she spent years in collaborative roles focused on writing, editing and organizing information. That foundation has made her coursework feel familiar and accessible. “Most often I have been either the group leader or the group editor,” she said. “Those are both well within my wheelhouse.”

Navigating Barriers and Building Toward a Dream

While she hasn’t yet worked in a library, Alyssa is candid about the challenge of stepping away from a full-time professional role and into a field where early experience often starts with part-time positions or internships. “I’ve never had an internship. I’ve always had jobs. I’ve always had to be paid for my work,” she noted. The transition hasn’t been seamless, and like many career changers, she’s navigating what it means to reset expectations and reenter the workplace in a new context. This is a tough transition that many iSchool students, myself included, face after making a career pivot.

Still, she’s encouraged by the possibilities ahead. Her dream? Working in a public library where she can serve members of her community with care, context and empathy, especially those whose needs are often overlooked in traditional systems.

Looking Ahead with Optimism

Alyssa’s deep connection to her heritage continues to guide her thinking about the future. She is committed to serving communities that reflect her own background, and she is considering new ways to make a lasting impact. One idea that’s recently caught her attention is grant writing. With years of writing experience already behind her, she’s curious about how those skills might help secure funding for the libraries and communities she hopes to support. “Maybe I should take that class and learn how I can write amazing things that get libraries lots of funding,” she said.

Alyssa’s ongoing journey is shaped by a strong sense of community and purpose. She isn’t reinventing herself; she’s honoring where she comes from and channeling that into a future where others feel seen, supported and connected.