The four semesters I spent in graduate school packed a punch with all that I learned. I laid a foundation of the principles of librarianship, especially ethical issues. I gained a sense of how libraries have developed from exclusive institutions to those that serve society at large today, as well as other special libraries. My coursework also helped me consider how they'll change in the future to maintain relevancy in society. I grew in understanding of the practices of library operations, especially what materials are available, and how to manage the resources of materials and people. I also engaged in some meaningful learning about the nature of information and the tools that facilitate access to it, especially technology, and the broader implications of both information and technology in society at large. Through it all, I found an academic program of study that allowed me to channel my passions for seeking information and knowledge, which definitely made this program a good fit for me. It was especially nice that I had the opportunity to select a variety of classes toward my degree that allowed me to explore my various interests in LIS. I enjoyed the opportunity to be a student again for this approximately year and a half time period, because of the enjoyable aspects of learning in a formal setting, and to experience a different pace in life.
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| Here I am sitting in one of my graduate school classes, taken by one of my classmates. |
I capped off my graduate studies in grand style when I put on all my regalia and celebrated my newfound achievement at the graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 8, together with all those earning Master's degrees from the various graduate programs at Dominican University. (It was fitting to add this occasion to the other milestones I recently celebrated: a quarter century since both my birth and baptism.)
As I walked in to the waiting area with my fellow MLIS graduates, I was handed honor cords. I'm not entirely sure why I got them, but it's likely due to the very good grades I got. Such grades are certainly an accomplishment in graduate school, but in many ways, the nature of the work in the classes made it more feasible. My graduate studies were mostly lots of reading and then writing discussion posts and essays, with some other hands-on-type projects, which gave me opportunities to go out and interact with people to further my learning, which I enjoyed. And there were very few tests, too, which made the end of the semester time frame much less stressful than when I was an undergraduate, as did the classes in which the work was front-loaded, tapering off towards the semester's end.
As we waited for the ceremony to start, it was nice to catch up with old classmates and even meet people from online classes. I liked having the ability to choose both online and in-person classes, which provided a good balance in my schedule. The nature of graduate school and its classes meant I wasn't on campus as much, and didn't allow me to spend as much time getting to know my classmates as when I was an undergraduate. Nevertheless, I had some enjoyable interactions with my classmates, especially those I engaged with regularly--like those who sat near my in classes--and I was able to build good relationships with some of my classmates. This happened especially when we did partner and group work, and even those times when we gave presentations in front of class helped in building relationships. (Interestingly, I met up with a couple of classmates I knew in K-12 schooling in graduate school.)
I was fortunate to have a stellar LIS program nearby. It was especially nice to be part of the Dominican University community, which is a values-based environment, the kind of place where I thrive. The values that Dominican upholds prevailed throughout the graduation ceremony, especially in the remarks offered by the various speakers.
Karen Snow, one of my professors, spoke, as part of her winning the Follett Excellence in Teaching Award (see picture below). Hearing her speak about cataloging took me back to the classes I've had with her, especially Cataloging and Classification this past semester. She immediately put a humorous spin on cataloging by recounting the story of a student who had a dream about attempting to catalog a puppy.
She then offered some profound remarks about cataloging, saying there's a danger of marginalizing a group of people, or some other entity, by putting them into a category. Certainly catalogers are humans who, ultimately, are making a subjective decision about how to label something. The implications are immense, because the way the categories are assigned influences how easy or challenging it is to access information.
In that light, Professor Karen made a call for us to stand up for what's right and just, like the students who petitioned for a change in Library of Congress subject headings so there would no longer be use of the term "illegal alien" for noncitizens. They wanted to take away the negative connotations, as people are not "illegal". She said we can use our voice to influence society at large, just as LIS professionals are involved in work to facilitate access to information resources, which has much great influence.
Professor Karen's speech was a great way for me to cap off all that I learned and experienced in my studies, as well as an opportunity for my family and friends present to get a glimpse into what I've been learning in my studies. (It definitely sparked much interest among them.)
The main speaker was Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities (see picture below).
She stated her main message of 8 words expressing 4 principal ideas: "Seek truth. Make peace. Extend mercy. Reverence life." She exhorted us to be agents who do good in the world by being fearless in engaging in those difficult conversations about what's wrong in the world to do what's right, and fostering reconciliation. She reminded us that we are to care for all people in God's creation, heeding the cries of the poor, because we're all interconnected. She said this in light of the current Jubilee Year of Mercy, when Pope Francis is calling all in the church to embrace mercy anew, which reveals God Himself to us and our world. It was also apt to have her as a speaker because this year is the Jubilee celebrating 800 years since the Dominican Order's founding in 1216.
Then came the presentation of diplomas. I wasn't fully aware that the MLIS graduates would be the first to walk across the stage, which caught me off guard to an extent, leaving me without sufficient time to be ready to take in this moment.
Nevertheless, it was a grand moment when, at approximately 4 PM, Professor Janice Del Negro called out my name, and I walked across the stage to accept my diploma from President Donna Carroll (see picture below), and exchange handshakes with her and Kate Marek, Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
As I made my way towards the stage's stairs, I thought back upon the experiences I had in the amazing journey I had undergone to reach this moment:
An important moment in this journey happened back during my senior year of college when I attended the 2013 AMS Annual Meeting. I met a representative of the group Atmospheric Science Librarian International. This woman had studied meteorology as an undergradute, then studied for her MLIS, and then went to work as a scientific librarian at a university in Iowa. This encounter planted a seed, giving me the idea that I could combine my interest in science with my penchant for libraries. Indeed, I have thoroughly enjoyed going to the library ever since I was a young child, making frequent visit to the Maze Branch of the Oak Park Public Library. (Two memorable early visits were field trips with my classes in Kindergarten and 1st grade, during one of which I got my library card.) I spent many summers passing the time away with books as a participant in the children's summer reading program. When I reached my teen years, I continued my involvement at the library, and gave back by volunteering during the summers. It seems appropriate that my encounter at the AMS Meeting led me full circle back to the institution that was a big part of making me who I am.
So when I was hired to work as a shelving aide at the Oak Park Public Library last year, it was almost like a dream come true, to have the opportunity to work at this important institution in my community, and continue serving it, while working with some great colleagues. I enjoy being among the materials, and interacting with the patrons who come to the library, as fielding their questions has helped me be a person who uses knowledge in ways that help others, and is one way this job has helped me grow as a LIS professional.
Indeed, my work has given me the opportunity to engage in the practices and principles of librarianship I learned in classes. I'm grateful for my professors who helped instill these in me, as well as my classmates who played a role in helping me learn.
My practicum at Argonne was also a major part of my professional development. It gave me the opportunity to work in a specialized library setting, learning about how the library there works through projects I did, and spending time with my wonderful colleagues there.
Being in a scientific setting took me back to my undergraduate days, when I was studying the science of meteorology. But I gained much more from my days at ValpU than my bachelor's degree. The values-based environment there, very much like that at Dominican, encouraged me to think more deeply about my ultimate purpose in fulfilling my life's vocation, serving others and glorifying God. Furthermore, the ways my faith flourished when at ValpU enhanced my strides toward more fully embracing my life's vocation, and brought me into such vibrancy, especially participating in the ministry of St. Teresa's. It was indeed fitting to have Dan and Ann Ruggaber at the master's graduation ceremony as a visible, living reminder of the impact St. Teresa's had on me.
Thinking about my faith and my vocation also invokes one of the most significant experiences of my life: teaching RE classes. I see so many parallels between LIS work and teaching RE, as in both, I'm helping people encounter information and use it for meaningful benefit. In the case of RE, I was helping my wonderful students encounter God and grow in faith. (I even had the opportunity at a Confirmation retreat back in September to share about a piece of my studies. The DRE gave a talk on the gifts of the Spirit, one of which is knowledge. Because I mentioned on a whim before the retreat started that I was writing an essay for Knowledge Management class on what is knowledge, when she got to the part about knowledge during her talk, she handed me the microphone in front of 50-60 young people and had me share about knowledge. So I shared the premise of that essay, which is that knowledge is information in action. That moment was a clear intersection of both my roles in RE and as an MLIS student.)
I was glad to be both a student and a teacher at the same time, because it helped focus my life on what matters most, how we give of ourselves in service to others to the glory of God. It has demonstrated I don't have to wait to get my career started to find a sense of purpose in life. I've found it in teaching RE, because of the ways I've given of myself to serve others, to help them embrace the fullness of life found in faith, which is the fulfillment of my life's vocation, and in it, I have felt such a sense of vibrancy and true joy. (Hearing my fellow graduates talk about their children made me think about the wonderful relationships I built with my students, and that they could witness me in this stage of my life.)
Yet thinking about life, faith, and vocation takes me back even further, to the days I was at Percy Julian Middle School. Notably, my MLIS graduation came exactly 10 years and 11 months to the day after my 8th grade graduation from Julian. Back in 2005 on May 8, which fell on a Sunday, as it did this year 2016, I was a month away from graduation. My 8th grade graduation was like a crown upon my experience there that had a profound effect in forming me as the person I am, unlike any other experience I had in my growing up years. For the first time in my life I realized that going to school was about more than just that: While I didn't have the words to conceptualize it at the time as a middle schooler, those years were all about helping me attain my life's vocation, living a lifestyle that is about something larger than myself.
One of my former teachers is retiring at the close of this school year, and I went to pay her one last visit at Julian the Friday before my graduation, as that was the day that worked out for it to happen. It was so fitting to have the opportunity to return to Julian to be reminded of the impact those years had on helping me attain my life's true purpose. It was also an opportunity for me to take stock of where I've been on this amazing journey through life, especially in a long conversation I had with another one of my former teachers during my visit there.
So yes, this graduation ceremony was a grand moment for me, but not one that I attained alone. All these experiences were right there with me. (In fact, in the couple of weeks leading up to graduation, I took my master's degree hood around to show it in RE class to my students, when I visited Julian to show it to my former teachers, and to work to show it to my colleagues at the Oak Park Public Library. And I carried mementos with me from these important experiences of my life in the pockets of my suite that I wore for the ceremony.)
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| In the center of this picture, you can see me ascending the stairs to the stage platform. I am the second person to the left of the banner that appears to the left of the podium. |
As I looked ahead to my graduation, I was well aware it was scheduled on Mothers' Day. My Mom remarked that it was a wonderful coincidence, for her to see me graduate on this occasion. And certainly, I revel in the wonderful support I received from family and friends, especially in the ways they showed interest in my studies. My parents also were my biggest cheerleaders throughout this process, as they have been throughout life. Sometimes it seems their enthusiasm for my studies was greater than my own. Even my brother sent me an interesting online article about trends in LIS careers. Indeed, it was great to see the presence of people I hold dear in my heart come out for my graduation, to witness my receiving my diploma, and then the next big moment, when, at approximately 4:35 PM CDT, President Donna Carroll pronounced the conferral of the degrees upon all the graduates. It was also so wonderful to see them all at home afterwards, enjoying a celebratory dinner of food catered from Grape Leaves.
There was another important occasion that fell on the same day as my graduation: And as happened in 2005, that inestimable year when I celebratorily capped off the experience of middle school, Ascension Sunday fell on May 8 this year. On this momentous religious feast, we celebrate Christ returning in glory to the Father in Heaven, after commissioning the Apostles to be witnesses to Him to the world. Once Jesus went to Heaven, the Apostles found themselves in a kind of "What now?" moment. They had just had an incredible experience of a lifetime participating in Christ's earthly ministry. Upon His return in glory to Heaven, with Christ now no longer having a literal, physical presence on Earth, it was up to them to continue on His work. But He would remain with them in a new and glorious way: He Who was glorified by His Ascension would continue to be glorified as they did His work.
In the midst of the excitement of finishing my class work and graduating, I find myself in a kind of "What now?" moment. A new phase in my life has just started, with a blank slate in front of me. It's a little concerning not knowing how it's going to be filled. But there's also a sense of excitement in thinking about what will fill it.
Looking back upon what I've experienced so far in the journey of my life leading to this moment, it's incredible to think of everything that's happened. And I rejoice that I have attained my purpose in life, fulfilling my vocation of serving others, in helping them grow in knowledge. As incredible as the journey has been so far, it's still not over. And it will be great one, as I continue fulfilling my life's vocation, serving others, to the glory of the One Who is ultimately Master of my Destiny.
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| Here I am, on my way into the new phase of life before me, with my newly-earned MLIS degree. |
(Note: the pictures of speakers at the ceremony are mine. Those pictures from the ceremony in which I appear were taken by my brother Eric, and I thank him getting these great shots.)
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