How are you a member of the UNCG LIS family?

Student, comrade, graduate assistant, comedian, actress ...

Tell us about the accomplishments you are most proud of in terms of your academic, professional accomplishments, etc. (brag points for us to use in other words)

Of my time in the LIS Program, I am most proud of working with Dr. Chow and Jonathan Beeker on a website usability study for the North Carolina Dept. of Public Instruction. I think having that on my resume has really helped my job search.

Give us a brief bio of yourself including your educational and professional background.

I was born in Valdosta, GA, but I consider Richmond, VA my hometown. I went to Longwood College in Farmville, VA (yes, about as “urban” as it sounds) for my BA in English. Immediately after graduation in 2002, I went and worked in a salmon cannery in Ketchikan, AK for a season before returning to Richmond. Then I worked at UPS briefly before I settled into a job at the Richmond SPCA in their high volume spay/neuter clinic. Three years, 2 cat bites, and 2 billion scratches later I realized I was getting burnt out emotionally and physically from my time there. I also realized my GRE scores were about to expire. Armed with that knowledge, I began my search for LIS programs. Oddly, Virginia has zero accredited programs, which lead my search to DC and UNCG. I was more impressed with the size and faculty ratio at UNCG (and when I emailed Dr. Shiflett he actually responded like a human being!). Which brings us to my relocation and enrollment here ...

Do you have a favorite saying or motto you live by? If not, please give us a concise one or two sentence blurb.

This too shall pass.

What role does your education and/or professional position play in applying library and information studies for the benefit of others and society in general?

It is what I studied at both collegiate levels and is complemented by my service industry career background. I have always enjoyed learning things and explaining them to others, so it seems like a good fit to me.

Favorite food and drink:

Indian food … or thai … it’s a toss up. Or anything involving sugar or cheese basically.

Favorite song or musical group:

Impossible to narrow down. Last week Gillian Welch’s “Wrecking Ball” was on repeat in my brain, week before was Built to Spill’s “Hurt a Fly,” and today it is “All That Jazz.”

Favorite movie or television show:

I can always watch a Law & Order or CSI rerun, but I really would rather be running or boxing.

One person you would choose to be marooned on a desert island with....

My special cat Dinky … if you’ve met him you know why! Otherwise, my buddy Philip because he would be able to build shelter, catch food, create fire, and other sors of “survival” stuff as well as provide good conversation and music on the guitar or mandolin he would somehow carve out of palm trees.

Anything else you would like to say to the rest of the UNCG LIS community on our Web site?