Scavenger hunt builds community

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Ashley Bolger

Eight iSchool master’s students were named 2021-2022 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. This “Spectrum Scholar Spotlight” series highlights the School’s scholars. MS/LIS student Ashley Bolger earned her BS degree in environmental studies from the University of Vermont, with a concentration in environmental justice, policy, and education.

Why did you decide to pursue an LIS degree?

I have been interested in becoming a librarian since high school, so getting an LIS degree has been in my plans for some time. Once I started working in libraries and confirmed that I enjoyed the work, I decided to apply for master’s programs.

Why did you choose the iSchool at Illinois?

The main thing that drew me to the iSchool at Illinois was the selection of classes. From looking at the course catalog, it was clear that I would be in an environment where I could explore many of my interests, with multiple courses if I so chose. The tuition waiver for Spectrum Scholars was also a large reason that I applied.

What particular LIS topics interest you the most?

I am interested primarily in public library services, including social justice, collection development, and cataloging. I am also interested in classes about academic librarianship.

What do you do outside of class?

I live in the Burlington, Vermont, area and work at a public library as a circulation assistant and volunteer coordinator. I love to read, especially graphic novels. I also am a rugby player and love to garden, sew and quilt, cook, and explore Vermont with my girlfriend.

What does being a Spectrum Scholar mean to you?

Being a Spectrum Scholar means that I will always be a part of a supportive network of library professionals of color. I am looking forward to the opportunities for networking, leadership development, and learning how to make the LIS field more justice-oriented.

What career plans or goals do you have?

I would like to continue working in Vermont public libraries or possibly academic libraries. I am particularly interested in circulation, technical services, and management.

Scavenger hunt builds community

iSchool students learned more about campus and each other at the second annual iSchool Scavenger Hunt. The event, which was held September 3-10, was open to on-campus students in all programs. Students who opted to participate were placed in small groups of peers in the same degree program. Students were given a list of ten campus locations to find, such as the Alma Mater, Morrow Plots, and Main Library. In addition to checking a point of interest off their lists, the students would take a group selfie at the spot.

“I hope students were able to enjoy meeting their peers in a social activity outside of the classroom setting,” said Academic Advisor Katelyn Talbott, who organized the event. “Plus, as this may be the first time on campus for new and even second-year students, I hope they were able to explore new places and make new friends.”

In the week following the scavenger hunt, people voted on their favorite group selfies, with the top selfies earning iSchool-branded giveaways. This year’s winners included the Alma Mater Group, composed of MS/LIS students Jenna Courtade, Katherine Majewski, and Rebecca Stover, and the Hallene Gateway Group, including PhD students Clara Belitz, Frank Stinar, and Andrew Zalot.

“I haven’t had much time to explore since I arrived in August. I definitely learned that campus is a LOT bigger than I thought it was,” said Stinar, who admits that his favorite place on campus is anywhere that serves coffee. “I also learned that the PhD program has some very interesting and nice people in it.”

Student Affairs joined campus in celebrating Graduate Student Appreciation Week from October 25-29.

“During this time, staff and faculty show gratitude to our students through messages, giveaways, workshops, etc. These types of events are important to ensure that each individual student feels part of the iSchool community,” said Talbott.

Rolling Stone the subject of undergraduate research

BS/IS student Hanyu (Zella) Zhao learned about pop culture and data analytics through her work on the undergraduate research project, Analysis on Rolling Stone Magazine Covers. Professor Michael Twidale mentored her during the project, in which a team of undergraduates created a database of celebrities who appeared on the magazine cover from 1967 to 2021. “We collected information on the celebrities from the internet and put them into Excel to create our own database. After collecting this data, we would make a data visualization of the celebrities’ age, gender, nationality, genre, etc., to spot changes in the music industry or in people’s tastes towards the music industry,” said Zhao.

Zhao learned new skills while working on the project, including data cleaning for databases and how to make data visualization “understandable and neat.” She appreciated the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research, to help her identify academic interests and possibly establish a future career path. As an added bonus, she learned more about music in the process. “Sometimes when searching for some celebrities, I would search for those old classic songs after the work was done,” said Zhao. “Now my playlists sound really ’80s!”

Practicum Spotlight: JPMorgan Chase

BS/IS student Jose Ramos discusses his practicum experience at JPMorgan Chase.

What is your area of interest at the iSchool?

My focus is on data science and analytics, particularly understanding different techniques for retrieving, processing, and interpreting information.

Where did you work this past summer, and what was your role?

I was a summer analyst at JPMorgan Chase. For ten weeks, I was able to get a preview of the Corporate Analyst Development Program (CADP), which is a two-year, full-time program consisting of data analytics, process improvement, and project management rotations. I was an intern for the data management and remediation team, and my role consisted of amending, organizing, and mitigating data on a client and/or account level, while ensuring that the quality of information collected was both accurate and current.

How did you find out about the practicum?

During my internship search, I used LinkedIn and Handshake to apply to different positions. However, I also did my own research and found companies that interested me. Within my list of companies was JPMorgan Chase, in which I was able to find more information about their CADP program on their website. From there, I was able to apply and go through the recruitment process.

What knowledge and skills did you acquire?

I was able to work on my technical skills, as I learned to use different software/ applications to complete my summer projects. Such projects consisted of retrieving and reviewing client information, exporting data to excel sheets, and having a deeper understanding of the databases used by the team. Furthermore, I also was able to improve my soft skills, such as communication. At first, I was a bit nervous reaching out to my team and asking for help, but over time, I learned that my team was there for me, and they were always happy to help. I learned that it was okay not to know something, because by asking the right questions, I would find the answer. I also learned more about the power of networking and reaching out to different people within the firm.

What did you like best about working at the organization?

I enjoyed learning more about JPMorgan Chase and how analytics plays a role in a financial institution. It was eye opening being able to understand how data is collected and managed on a large scale and the teams needed to protect and organize such data. Furthermore, I enjoyed working with people at the firm, as they were always willing to help and teach me something new. Through multiple coffee chats during the summer, I was able to learn about different careers and the vast array of opportunities that exist at the firm. I also had the opportunity to work with mentors and summer interns, which was a great experience as I gained a sense of what CADP was about and learned about the other cool projects my peers were working on.

What are your plans after you complete your degree?

After I graduate next spring, I will begin my full-time analyst journey with JPMorgan Chase. I will be part of the CADP for two years in the city of Chicago!