ABOUT

Bio

As long as I can remember, my face has been buried in a book; I was often encouraged to be creative with my time and to teach myself anything I wanted to know. My experiences in youth only further made me appreciate the power of a robust education.

After earning a BS in Business Management from Western Governors University in 2016, I began my graduate journey at the University of North Texas aiming to become a children's public librarian. A series of extraordinary events led me to health science librarianship. In Spring 2021, I became a Master of Science in Information Science specializing in Health Informatics.

At UNT, I served as a Senator representing the College of Information on the Graduate Student Council (GSC) where I wrote and sponsored legislation and advocated passionately for student-centered initiatives. That passion for student advocacy has fueled my professional interest, leading to a position where I develop and support student programming for NNLM Region 3.

As Student Engagement & Marketing Strategist at NNLM Region 3, I am also responsible for creating and managing digital communications to enrich and expand NNLM's mission of a seven-state region (composed of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas) and to extend regional and national reach to historically excluded communities. Check out my portfolio to view some visual design and marketing work.

In Fall 2020, I introduced video production capabilities to Region 3, diversifying the menu of offerings available to our partners. In Spring 2020, I spearheaded the effort to develop a regional newsletter, for which I now serve as principal designer and editor. Such innovations have helped to catapult the reputation of our office as being one of the best Regional Medical Libraries in the nation.

My first academic publication is a co-authored manuscript which presents research on how health sciences libraries generated and disseminated COVID-19 information to their users over the course of 2020-2021, especially by leveraging LibGuides or similar research guide platforms.

I am in the business of building relationships and can't wait to chat about how we can support health literacy in your community!

ORCiD https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4245-1208

Philosophy of Practice

Equitable information access is universally vital not only to those who seek it, but to those whom it affects; equitable information access is a right for everyone.

As a matter of professional principle and personal conviction, I am committed to removing barriers to information access, preventing the construction of additional such barriers, and advocating for intersectionally accessible resources for all. I maintain a deep conviction against censorship. I work to develop resources that will increase interest in and access to effective health literacy tools.
I am commited to increasing research and publication, especially among librarians and students.
I empower people to take charge of their health by helping them learn how to search for, find, select, access, critique, interpret, and mobilize health information that affects their lives and those of the people around them. I encourage them to share these skills with members of their community and to take actionable steps toward positively impacting their world.
In conjunction with clinicians and health information professionals, I develop and distribute digital materials which may help to improve health outcomes in historically excluded communities and in communities with health disparities. These materials are made accessible by addition of alternative text where applicable and translation into languages other than English when available. I work to write this information in plain language and disseminate it in a manner that is easily accessible and consistent with my convictions as a professional and citizen of the global community.

I believe that introspection and examination of ourselves - professionally and otherwise - can lead to substantial growth. Consistently reevaluating objectives and projects ensures that work toward a goal remains on-task, realistic, and relevant. My passion for continued education is a direct result of this philosophy.

I will never stop learning.

Skills

Community outreach
Student engagement
Leadership
Information literacy
Digital marketing
Graphic design
Biomedical informatics
Project management
Disaster management
Research

To view my CV, please click the button below.

View CV