I began pursuing a Master’s in Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) at the University of South Florida (USF) in Summer 2023. My past and current work focuses on behavioral health and criminal justice research and policy. I conducted this work at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health while completing my Ph.D. at Saint Louis University in applied/experimental psychology with an emphasis in social psychology. I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at USF. I will transition to a second career as a librarian after completing my MLIS degree.

I am focusing my MLIS program on archiving and genealogy. My interest in genealogy began in childhood with summertime spent in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where my ancestors were iron ore and copper miners. My time in Michigan engendered an interest in history, which grew while I was in college at Purdue University Calumet. I spent hours walking around Chicago during the year I worked as an office manager for an otolaryngologist, which led to a fascination with city planning and architecture.

I took every class taught by my favorite college professor, Lance Trusty. His classes in Revolutionary Era, Northwest Indiana History, and two general education history survey courses were like watching the History Channel before such a thing existed. I discovered my affinity for non-fiction in college when reading a 300+ page book on J. Edgar Hoover for a Crime in America class. Continued reading in history has kept that interest alive.

There are many possibilities in MLIS, including using my decades of experience in behavioral health and the law as it relates to archiving and genealogy. I look forward to what will come with my learning in the MLIS program at USF and my career to follow!