written by Cat Tang, ALASC Chair
As the Fall 2025 semester comes to an end, it is that bittersweet time once again to say goodbye and congratulations to our graduating ALASC Executive Committee members! This semester, we say goodbye to our Social Media team members, Jacklyn (Jackie) Roussin and Wendy Thompson. Our Vice Chair, Eddie Lagos, though not graduating, is also departing from the student chapter after two years of service and was invited to take part in this interview. I sat down with our departing members to hear their final thoughts and reflections on their time in the SJSU ALASC.
CT: Tell us about when you started in the ALASC and the roles you’ve held.
JR: I first started in Fall 2023 as a Social Media Assistant and held that role for a year. Then I became the Social Media Coordinator and I’ve held that role for a year as well. I also served as the group’s interim Secretary for a period of 6 months and did a lot of work sorting through our ALASC group email and improving the meeting minutes. In my role as Social Media Coordinator, I’ve tried to improve engagement on our various social media platforms and come up with a system that makes sense for our team, like, “This is how we do things, when we do it, and why we do it.”
I’ve been actively involved on subcommittees as well, including the Constitution Revision and Organizational Preservation subcommittees, and have worked alongside other Executive Committee members to make this organization a better place. I was also on the Student Chapter of the Year Award (SCOTYA) subcommittee for the past 2 years and significantly contributed to our 2024 win. I also launched our No Book Book Club, which is still going strong to this day. It’s a book club to talk about anything related to books or what we’re currently reading, instead of a specific title that may not be of interest to everybody!
WT: Jackie essentially recruited me in the summer of 2024 and then I joined the student chapter that fall as a Social Media Assistant. It’s the one role I’ve held during my time in the ALASC, though I’ve also reviewed applications, interviewed, and participated in the onboarding for our new Social Media team members. During my time as a Social Media Assistant, I created two posts per month, one informative post and one fun/engaging post, and I’ve tried to support our Social Media Coordinator in all her endeavors.
JR: Wendy did more than try—she went way above and beyond her role as a Social Media Assistant and I would not have been able to do my job as Social Media Coordinator without her! Also, all three of us were involved in reviewing applications, interviewing, and onboarding for incoming positions!
EL: That’s right! I started in spring of 2024 and completed a year as the student chapter’s Membership Coordinator. During that time, I worked on our membership newsletter. There was a period when we were transitioning the newsletter to Substack from… was it Survey Monkey? (CT: You mean Mailchimp?) Oh yeah, that’s right, Mailchimp! <laughs> Anyway, that was because we were running out of space for subscribers through the old platform. Through the newsletter, I tried to engage with the iSchool student body and I also sent welcome emails to the students who picked the ALA complimentary membership in INFO 200. Then this year, I became Vice Chair, though I was still Membership Coordinator. We merged the Membership Coordinator and Vice Chair roles into one and I created a handbook for the Vice Chair position. I’ve been in charge of updating the iSchool Student Leadership Canvas page and I also became more involved with the Constitution Revision, Organizational Preservation, and SCOTYA subcommittees this year.
CT: Can you all talk a little bit about why you joined the ALASC?
JR: I joined the ALASC because being in an online program makes you feel very disconnected from your peers, but I wanted to be able to connect with other people, build relationships and friendships, and feel like I was going through this program with other people, not alone. I really wanted to meet friends that I could talk to about our courses, professors, and what we were getting from the program. So mainly, I just wanted to build connections. I would say I’ve gotten some lifelong friendships from this program and my involvement in the ALASC. Oh—and I love to be busy! I can’t not be busy.
WT: Well, Jackie made me. <laughs> I never considered joining the ALASC until Jackie reached out and asked if I’d be interested. Then I watched the info session and it just made sense. Being in an online program is very isolating and joining the ALASC helped me make more connections. Plus, the potential to gain ePort evidence was also very enticing. <grins>
EL: I also felt the isolation of the program right after my first semester. So I looked into student groups and I chose the ALA Student Chapter specifically because the ALA is national. It looked good. <laughs> Like Jackie, I wanted to connect with other people who were also going through the program. That was my primary motivation. I also thought it would be nice to use my experience for ePort and resumes, like the leadership skills I’ve learned. Those two things are what motivated me to join. And I can’t wait to get out!! <laughs>
CT: What has been your favorite part of being in the student chapter?
JR: Honestly, I would say my favorite part has been truly being able to just connect with people and go through this process together instead of feeling lonely and isolated. I felt connected both within the Executive Committee and through engaging with followers on our social media platforms.
WT: Two things. One is having had the ability to be creative as a Social Media Assistant. I got to work on my skills as they pertain to creating social media posts and had that outlet to improve myself. The second thing is definitely the friendships. Jackie and I have become pretty close—we supported each other through ePort this semester and have taken a lot of the same classes. We plan to continue having monthly Zoom meetings together after graduation. <laughs>
EL: One of my favorite parts has been helping people. For example, people send us emails asking if we are the ALA and we have to clarify that we are not the ALA. It’s nice to help them and kinda guide them in the right direction and give them the correct information. Recently, with Polya, who is part of our current Events team, I also felt like I was able to help her by collaborating on our “Getting Hired in Libraries” event. Hopefully the work I did on the Constitution Revision subcommittee has also helped the overall organization in the long run. I’ve really valued the people I’ve helped and the connections I’ve made. Oh, the Google chats I’ve had with Cat and Jackie have been fun too! Having fun in a work environment is also super important to me.
CT: Anything else you want to share?
JR: …
WT: …
EL: …
*crickets*
Okay, that’s all, folks~!
I truly value the time I’ve spent working together with Jackie, Wendy, and Eddie and building relationships with each of them. Just as they’ve discussed themselves, I couldn’t have done my work as Chair without them this year. Though it is sad to say goodbye, I congratulate them on finishing this chapter of their story and starting a new one! Congratulations to all iSchool graduates this semester!
