We cannot fully espresso our thanks!
We had so much fun on Wednesday, October 5, during our annual Connect Over Coffee Event. Our special guest alumni work in a wide range of information settings, from public and academic libraries to corporate and special libraries at Disney and NASA. We would like to thank all 38 participants, guests, and alumni who attended.
As a student, never forget that alumni are a critical part of SJSU’s resources. Alumni can not only offer the same knowledge as current classmates about professors and class offerings but they can also connect that knowledge to special, earned wisdom about entering and staying in the information professions.
Data Librarian at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, Melissa Ward (2018), for example, offered her path to Disney, listing all of her favorite classes at SJSU.* This was thrilling information for so many participants who aspire to work in corporate libraries, particularly those that belong to childhood staple Disney!
Throughout the event, LaShaunda Croussore, our 2022 ALASC Treasurer, felt buoyed by the oft-repeated piece of advice of the night, which was to apply for everything– job, internship, grant, whatever! As it turns out, applicant pools are often small, so you may have a better shot than you think.
Moreover, alumni make great connections. JonLuc Christensen (2019), a group lead at NASA/CalTech Jet Propulsion Laboratory, advised to build a network through these events, ALASC, and other student groups, and to be an active participant in those circles. He urges “to not only take from it, but to build meaningful relationships and give back at least as much as you get.”
It beans a lot.
Once you’re alumni, you’ll find you have a lot to give back. Christensen had a great perspective on the MLIS student lifecycle, telling me, “I have always believed that ours is a profession of service – we all just want to help people satisfy their needs, even when they themselves may not know what those are. It’s the same for alumni and students. What I got out of SJSU sent me on an amazing life/career path – the best way I can say thank you is to try to give back just a little.”
Thanks again to all who were able to attend our Connect Over Coffee Event. While the coffee pot has emptied, our cups are filled thanks to the new connections that were made that night in October.
*For the curious, Ward’s favorite classes were:
- INFO246 – Big Data (Chen)
- INFO247 – Vocabulary Design (Zhang)
- INFO281 – Metadata (Bolin)
- INFO284 – Digital Curation (Scott)
- INFO284 – Managing Photographic Collections (Gleason)
- INFO287 – Gamifying Information (Weissman)
