Rina is interested in rare books, oral histories, and art/manuscripts/ephemera from indigenous cultures. Her goal is to further establish equity when it comes to which archives are made a priority to digitize. Rina hopes to see a stronger variety of diverse archives being digitized and made available to the public. She is also interested in Mexican folklore and archives that relate to Mexican culture. Rina is a freelance writer, spoken word poet, and was a contributing writer and an assistant podcast producer at Ms. Magazine. She was the literary event coordinator at Modern Times, a bookstore collective in San Francisco and is a collaborative member of Myrtle Tree Arts.

Kristina is from Danville, CA and has begun her MLIS degree in spring of 2024. She graduated from CU Boulder in the spring of 2015 with a BA in Sociology. She is very excited about pursuing her MLIS degree and is interested in the organization of information retrieval systems, archival work, and special libraries. She dreams of one day working in a museum or for a special collection at an academic library. When not studying, she teaches yoga classes and loves taking pilates classes. She also enjoys trying new recipes in the kitchen with family, and friends.

Gianna is interested in pursuing a career in digital archival work with a focus on collections that reflect the heritage of the Southwest Asian and North Africa (SWANA) region, particularly the post-Ottoman sphere. She graduated with a BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies from Macalester College, and was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. Her undergraduate research examined the politics of memory in Turkey and Azerbaijan, and the co-emergence of Middle East Area Studies alongside the U.S. national security apparatus. She looks forward to how her MLIS degree will help her pursue her professional interests, allowing her to explore how digital humanities and archives can become active sites for conceptualizing decolonial, counter hegemonic futures. Since graduating, she has returned home to California and developed her collaborative teamwork skills at a variety of workplaces, from leading outreach to Bay Area environmental non-profits at Patagonia San Francisco, to working as a farm hand and event development coordinator at San Francisco’s largest urban farm. She is excited to be the 2024-2025 Blog Editor for SJSU’s SAASC and deepen her understanding of the world of archives and record management. In her free time, you can find her reading in her backyard hammock, cooking up a recipe from her favorite cookbooks, and playing with her cats, Fern and Parsley.

Shannon Brockhurst is currently pursuing her Master’s in Library and Information Science at SJSU, which she began in Spring 2023. With a passion for cultural heritage preservation and safeguarding she is thoroughly enjoying her time at SJSU and is excited to be a part of SJSU SAASC. Shannon holds a BA in History, focusing on global race and cultural issues, with a minor in Slavic Studies from the University of Victoria. After graduating, she received her TEFL certification from the University of Toronto and moved to South Korea to work as a teacher. Originally from Vancouver Island, Canada, Shannon now divides her time between BC and Utah, USA, where she lives with her husband. When not focusing on her studies, she can typically be found curled up with a book, crafting something or planning her next adventure.

Rebecca Billings is an MILS student from the Bay Area. She has a B.A. in Foreign Language (French) from Seattle University after taking every class that appealed to her. She has enjoyed a career working in open source software. She is pursuing a dream of getting a MILS with a focus on archiving. She plans to continue taking every class that appeals to her. In her free time she enjoys volunteering for a large LGBTQIA* organization, reading, traveling, spending time with her partner & cats, and dressing in drag.

Katie started the MLIS program in Fall 2021 and is planning on graduating in Spring 2026. She is excited about opportunities to work in areas of reference, outreach, and/or instruction in an academic library or archives. Previously, Katie has worked at various companies developing and testing inkjet printers and has focused on evaluating image quality, lightfastness, and durability. She lives in San Diego with her two teenage daughters and husband. In her free time, Katie enjoys playing piano, playing games with her family, and reading.