Lifelong Learner

Those around me would describe me as curious, inquisitive: a lifetime learner. Reading any book I can get my hands on, eyes bleary from late night blog skimming, fingers stained from newspaper print, and eavesdropping on everyday conversation, I am someone who appreciates several tangled avenues of obtaining information and learning. I would say that I am “just plain nosy.”

My first steps along these avenues went well beyond the normal curiosity children exhibit concerning the world surrounding them, because growing up as an African American female in a working class household increased the intensity of my questions. Why, despite both of my parents working 40+ hour weeks, was the rent sometimes late? Or during a particularly heartbreaking conversation, why did Lisa insist that I use the black crayon to color my skin when it is clearly brown? Age appropriate answers never quelled my need to know and my ruse of playing quietly in an effort to listen in on family gossip was often uncovered. So, at every opportunity, I turned to libraries and books. There, I had access to resources for my questions, and also discovered that knowledge informed and shaped the context of my and every others’ existence. The power of access to knowledge and the impact of information however did not truly coalesce until my senior year of high school—reading, questioning, and thinking had led me without question to more: acceptance to college.

Studying English and Anthropology allowed me to learn about worlds, both real and imagined. More importantly, Amherst helped me develop a stronger framework for analysis and emphasized the intersections of several fields of study. Some of my most memorable days while as an undergrad student were those when a...

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...rograms and systems that increase accessibility and sophisticated use, particularly for those in underserved communities. As methods for information consumption changes, digital librarianship and information seeking habits is what I would like to study. Reading about the Information School’s research projects investigating unequal access, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute.

Flexible and quick to adapt, I know that I have the ability to motivate others and myself in this ever-advancing field. My personal experiences in pursuing higher education as a first generation college student have made me no stranger to adversity or creating my own path, qualities I believe add greatly to leaders within librarianship. My commitment to reading, learning, and questioning make me the outgoing and accomplished candidate the University of Washington needs.