With the close of the academic year, students are celebrating the successful completion of their degrees, whether they are bachelor’s, master’s, or PhDs. Here at Atla, three staff members are among the recent graduates. Join us in celebrating Karen Adjei, Alex Leiseca, and Natalie Whitaker!
Karen Adjei
Title: Member Programs Coordinator
Degree: Master of Library and Information Science
Institution: University of Maryland
How my degree impacted me:
My path to obtaining an MLIS degree has been a joyous journey filled with adventure, community, and further realizing my interests and specialties within librarianship. However, one thing I will always cherish from my time as a graduate student is how much I got to travel. Travel helped me to not only expand my understanding of the field but it also helped me to maintain the connections I have made along the way on this voyage. As one library friend put it, who knew that being a librarian involved so much travel? As I reflect on some of these key experiences, the following anecdotes, that have their genesis in Atla, highlight the values of exploration that is embedded within the ethos of theological librarianship.
As mentioned in my previous blog post, “From A Cup of Coffee to Connecting in Community: A First Year Experience with Atla,” one of my first introductions to Atla was through its theological librarianship course as well as a mentorship match with Jamie Lin who was also involved with Atla at the time. In this class that I took in 2022, I was fortunate to have been introduced to my peers within the field. A year later, at the 2023 American Library Association Conference hosted in Chicago, IL, one of the students recognized me during a coffee break and we exchanged contact information. Fast-forward a year later in 2024, during a graduation celebration trip to Boston, this classmate and I made the effort to connect in-person and encourage each other in our respective fields.
My mentor during graduate school also encouraged me to attend the 2022 Atla Annual hosted in Baltimore. During a new attendee session, I ran into my professor from the theological librarianship class, Dr. Carisse Berryhill, who introduced me to the dean of a seminary library in Japan. One year later, in the summer of 2023, I was able to connect with this dean and tour the seminary library at Christ Bible Institute in Nagoya, Japan, on a trip to explore international theological librarianship opportunities. Also at Atla Annual 2022, my mentor formally introduced me to her friend and colleague, Megan Welsh, whose session I had attended on preparing for the job market. Megan became another mentor as I worked with her as an Ask A Librarian Apprentice later that year.
As Atla’s Member Programs Coordinator, the legacy of my travels and connections continues to surprise me. During our most recent All Staff Meeting in Chicago, I just so happened to sit next to May May Latt, who recently wrote about “Using Atla’s Databases in Preparation of the Sermons and Preaching.” I was delighted that she recognized me from the previous year during the 2023 Atla Annual in Fort Worth, where I had presented on my apprenticeship with my mentor Megan. This serendipitous connection made me feel more welcomed and embraced by my Atla coworkers.
It has been an exciting, if not surprising, and encouraging saga of watching this continuum of connections grow as I further my career. I am thankful to be part of a legacy of theological librarians who embody a type of hospitality through travel that facilitates building bridges across borders while introducing and inviting others to new information along the way. And while there is still a wistfulness for new adventures post-grad, travel does not have to stop! At the end of June, I will be presenting and volunteering at the 2024 Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) Conference in Costa Mesa, CA with a friend. Further highlighting the theme of community, my co-presenter and co-volunteer was introduced to me through our mutual mentor Jamie Lin, and my friend from my theological librarianship class that I met in Chicago and Boston mentioned that RBMS is a great place to continue to learn and get connected. It is an honor and comfort to witness these seemingly invisible threads of connections crystalize over time, which propels me forward in my journey as a librarian.
Alex Leiseca
Title: Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Degree: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Institution: Emerson College
How my degree impacted me: As one of those people who really loves learning (my ideal Friday night is watching a Ken Burns documentary with some lavender tea) the two years I spent working toward my master’s felt like a time of incredible growth and opportunity. I had the privilege to discuss literature with my classmates and fantastic professors, and to share our work within a community of patient and generous writers. I was also given incredible opportunities like writing for The Boston Globe and was accepted into an editorial mentorship program with Penguin Random House. All of these experiences strengthened my writing and editing skills, and taught me that all kinds of writing can be an art form.
This sounds cliche, but the program also helped me see the world differently, as reading promotes empathy and writing spurs observation. I love to take long walks, and as I was working on my thesis novel, I found myself noticing tiny details about the world to add a layer of authenticity to the fabric of the setting I was creating. I had a richer experience of living in Boston because I was more aware of my surroundings and noticed things like the smell of the sea on my way to class.
Now that I’m back in my hometown of Chicago, I have a huge stack of books from the Chicago Public Library that I’ve wanted to read but didn’t have time for, and can’t wait to start devouring them. I look forward to noticing the small details of life while walking on Chicago’s waterfront instead of Boston’s, and continuing to admire other writers’ expert use of words to weave a world.
If anyone has a good book (or documentary!) recommendation, please let me know!
Natalie Whitaker
Title: Membership Coordinator
Degree: PhD in Medieval Literature
Institution: Saint Louis University
How my degree impacted me: The (looooong) process of earning my PhD at Saint Louis University in Medieval Literature taught me more than I can measure, but I will try to describe it with three main takeaways:
- Have a growth mindset with your research and writing skills. There is no easy-button approach to writing a book-size project and all that entails, such as research, research organization, and the always fun managing and implementing of editing and revision suggestions.
- Take risks with your work, your research, and your theories. It doesn’t always pay off; often, it fails, but when these risks produce new thoughts and connections, it is some of the most exciting work you will ever do.
- Embrace de-compartmentalization as an academic. Every part of your life is a part of your formation as an academic because the health of your mind and how your mind works is a part of your work: administrative skills and experiences, teaching and pedagogy approaches, time with family, hobbies — everything at this level of academic research and production becomes a part of how you process, discuss your work, explore, and produce.
I end my three points with embracing de-compartmentalization for a reason. As membership coordinator for Atla, my experience not only as an academic librarian at a seminary but also as an academic researcher and professor myself only help me to understand better the needs and communications of our members in Atla: Atla members and staff are all working in spheres of cross-over – libraries, special collections, archives, librarians, researchers, faculty, administrators, and students. We can not compartmentalize our pedagogy, research, and resource needs or how we all support each other through our work as educational professionals. I love that I have worked and experienced many of the same positions, research and resource struggles that our members have, and it helps me appreciate their needs and solve problems.
Congratulations to all students in the Atla community who graduated this semester!
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