Carly Coursey (she/they) is an MLIS student graduating in May 2027. They serve as a Content Editor for the Student Research Journal. They also serve as a peer reviewer for the ALA Core journals Information Technology and Libraries and Library Leadership & Management.

Carly holds a Library and Information Technology Certificate from Palomar College and a BA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. They currently work as Bindery Coordinator in the Preservation Lab of an academic library. Managing the bindery, she oversees student employees and trains them in preservation, re-housing and binding techniques. Other tasks include supporting preservation team efforts and collection disaster response and recovery.

Carly is a founding member of the Pride Staff Association and serves on their library’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Professional interests include academic librarianship, preservation, publishing, oral history, and the lived experiences of neurodivergent people.

Liz Harmer (she/her) is in her second year of the MLIS program and, in addition to being the vice-chair for the SAASC in 2026-27, serves as a copy editor for the Student Research Journal. The winner of the Christopher Hoy ALA scholarship, Liz has worked for many years in public and school libraries. In addition to her library experience, Liz is a working writer—a published novelist and essayist—and an educator. She recently transitioned from teaching Creative Writing in university classrooms to her role as a Humanities teacher at the Webb Schools of California. There, in addition to teaching, she works part-time in the library, serves on a curriculum committee, and coaches softball. Her interests are varied: she has loved working in public and academic libraries but has a passion for archives of all kinds.

Erin Hickey began her MLIS studies at SJSU in Spring 2025. She earned her BA in 2017 from Simmons College in English and Psychology. After which, working as a lab technician, she completed two online programs in Digital Media Production and Video Editing. These programs encouraged her interest in film production and history. Currently working as an administrative assistant, Erin has made the decision to go back to school to earn her MLIS with an emphasis in archival studies. Her goal is to gain experience in film preservation through internships. Outside of work and class, Erin enjoys reading fantasy and horror, spending time with her cat, and exploring new board games.

Gene Luzala is a first-year MLIS student. He spent decades in Los Angeles working as a music instructor and professional drummer and he holds a B.A. in Music Composition and an M.A. in Ethnomusicology. Gene earned his PhD in Cultural Studies, specializing in Museum Studies, in May of this year. His experience in Cultural Studies sparked his interest in historical and digital archives and their role in preserving cultural memory, particularly that of marginalized communities. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys watching documentaries, traveling, listening to music and talk radio, cooking and grilling, and spending time with his dog.

Vanessa started the MLIS program in Spring 2024. She resides in Davis, Calif., and is originally from Lynwood, Calif., in Los Angeles County. She holds a B.A. in English and History, with a minor in Chicana/o Studies, from UC Davis. She is passionate about the intersections of literature and history and how these two fields inform each other. In particular, she loves demonstrating how literature and art give a voice to historically marginalized people. She has worked in the Archives and Special Collections department at UC Davis, primarily providing reference services, which has given her opportunities to combine her passions for literature, art, and history with archival work. She currently works in the archival processing unit, where some of this work continues. She has experience writing for the UC Davis blog with the primary purpose of providing outreach for archival materials. When she is not working or studying, she enjoys reading, playing video games, or watching shows with her partner, guinea pig (Henry), and bunny (Mary Shelley).

Chukyi Kyaping (she/her) is based in Northern New Mexico and she began her MLIS degree at SJSU in Spring 2026, specializing in archives and digital asset management with a focus on equitable access and reparative practices. She holds a BA in History from Ursinus College and a MA in Museum Studies from SOAS University of London, with a background in provenance research and collections management. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, wine tasting, reading ancient history books, and watching British murder mystery shows with her rescue dog.

Nellie Le (she/her) is in her second year of the MLIS program and is expecting to graduate Fall 2027. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Cal State Long Beach. She has been working as a freelance artist and illustrator for over 10 years. Her interest in archives and preservation stems from gaps she noticed in archival preservation of artist estates and studio practices. She is currently a library intern at the Los Angeles Arboretum, which is home to one of the largest plant science research libraries. She is also volunteering on a project to process the Giant Robot Archive. Her interests include (but not limited to) illustration history, graphic design history, animation history, natural history, and various subgenres of punk. She believes in preserving the history of human creativity and achievements in the arts, so that they are accessible to inspire future generations. In her free time, she enjoys supporting local family-owned restaurants with her husband, documentaries, period dramas, and hanging out with their 3 cats.

Jesse Jacobs is a second-year student in the MLIS program at SJSU. He holds a BS in Anthropology and an M.Ed. in Education. Upon graduation, he plans to use his education and customer service experience to work in an archive. He has a passion for learning, reading, writing, and research, always trying to improve how he approaches information and visiting topics and fields he doesn’t know as much about. Library science was a career change for him, yet one well-suited for his love for history, cataloging, sharing knowledge, and technology. He hopes to conclude his MLIS with multiple internships, remotely and in person, with aspirations to be a digital archivist. He lives in central New Hampshire with his wife, two golden retrievers, and his overabundance of collectibles and games. He shows while working as an English language teacher in person and online. He has always had a tendency to analyze grammar and can get lost in editing documents of all kinds, so joining Archeota seemed like a natural step when he was given the opportunity.