Month: September 2018

Finding Balance: Make a Smooth Transition to Post-Secondary

Growing up with eight siblings helped me realize early on that it’s vital to follow your dreams no matter how big they are.

As the youngest, looking up to them as they accomplished their goals inspired me to do the same. Civil-environmental engineering sounded like an intimidating post-secondary major until I considered that it is no different from any other field of study—they all require studying, dedication, enthusiasm, and most importantly faith. It also is a career field in which I can grow and even venture into many other fields, such as botany or marine biology.

When I started freshman year at Lincoln University, I was skeptical about the new environment despite being ready to start my journey to independence and adulthood.

Having other siblings who attended college helped my transition go smoothly. But even with some ideas of what to expect at college, I still had a lot to learn in order to succeed. For instance, the workload at college surpasses high school by far, and although it’s manageable, it takes a significant commitment to stay disciplined and study and stay on top of everything.

Colleges offer many resources and support services that can help you manage the work, but it is your job to make sure you get the help you need.

Fortunately for me, Lincoln University has an abundance of resources for women of color interested in my specific field of study and my schedule allows me to get my work done along with other tasks without feeling as if the workload is too much. Lincoln University also provided me with the tools necessary to travel to classes they did not offer.

I took advantage of courses in Atlanta and even traveled to other countries to learn and do research. In Thessaloniki, Greece, my work concentrated on probiotics in Greek yogurts and kefir. While visiting St. Augustine, Trinidad, and Tobago, I worked on a project to evaluate and optimize a banana fibre extraction device.

These projects were amazing opportunities that opened my eyes to what I love the most about my career choice: travel! Although I do enjoy the traveling aspect of my program and field, when traveling for a vast period I always begin to miss my family and not having them around to support me has an emotional effect. That’s why my role as a Lincoln University research intern in solid waste management has been my favorite traveling experience so far. I am conducting my bachelor and graduate studies on pharmaceuticals in drinking water and while working on this project my family could come visit me in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Having their comfort and support motivated me and helped me stay focused while working in the unfamiliar environment for a long period.

As a student and young adult, it is important that you find an overall balance in your work, relationships, and educational and social life for a smoother post-secondary transition. Don’t limit yourself—there are many opportunities available and there is no wrong time to learn anything!

Librarians help patrons find themselves in a book.

In September of 2006, I hopped on a plane to study theatre at Kingston University in London, England. Always an explorer, I have sought out new worlds by traveling, or discovered them through the art of reading, and created my own as a writer. What I didn’t realize after moving back to the United States was that my love for pursuing information would land me a position working with children at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. For two and a half years, I have helped toddlers who can barely talk, vibrant and striving patrons in their nineties, and all ages in between to seek out a world of fact or fantasy through books.

As a Children’s Specialist, I conduct storytimes for babies and toddlers, visit local schools to bring stories and programs to them, and assist in managing our collection of over 65,000 books.

Patrons who visit the library on a quest to find their next great read, or the perfect answer to a world history question come to me for the solution. While it may seem that librarianship is doing a Google search to find the title of a book, the career of being a librarian digs much deeper than any informational search.

Children who walk, run, or hop through the library find much more than pages filled with words smacked between two hard covers, they find magic—and as cheesy as it may sound, transporting them to that world is my job. I want adults, children, and everyone in between to discover the magic on these shelves, be it Harry Potter or Elephant and Piggie.

On any given day you can find me creating brand new programs like Sankofa Storytime, which helps African American children see themselves represented in the pages of books, or leading top to bottom tours of CLP-Main including history and architecture, and showing a parent how to read to their child so they enter Kindergarten ready to succeed. What I love almost as much as singing to a rambunctious gaggle of toddlers is helping manage our collection of literature. Processing new books, weeding old books that have staled on our shelves, and seeing what can be added to our collection without a doubt brings me some type of weird booklover joy.

There is a severe lack of children’s literature that represents our diverse world, and also a lack of librarians of color.

I am an advocate of inclusion on library shelves and among library staff. Attending mentoring conferences, taking diversity initiatives, and being that person who not only pushes for representation, but creates it, is an aspect of my job that I have gripped hold of tight.

I have a confession, I also live a secret life. During the day I prepare children for literacy success, at night I am a writer who brings the books on library shelves to life. In 2013, I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing. My position at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has honed my direction as a writer. I’ve merged my love of working with children with my love of writing for children. Picture books, middle grade, and young adult manuscripts fill my desk at home and the day my books make it to library shelves isn’t too far away.

I am the bridge that helps a patron find themselves and their passions in a book.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh empowers people to transform their lives through life-long learning, digital literacy, and connections to others. Visit their website to learn more about their mission to engage our community in literacy and learning.