In lieu of a library land update, I wanted to talk about April. It's becoming one of my favorite months for the simple reasons I've made a lot of big decisions during these 30 (mainly raining) days over the years.
For instance, five years ago, I chose Coe College. It was a decision made amongst last minute college visits, our Viking Band show, and AP testing. I remember just waking up one day and knowing, Coe was it.
Or take my junior year at Coe, I spent April in Wisconsin, unwinding after being in New York City for four months. I made two fantastic visits to Coe, for an interview and reunion and two fun formals.
Or last year, I decided to come to University of Illinois Urbana Champaign for graduate school. My visit was last minute but as soon as I walked in the doors, my mind knew I had made my decision.
It's crazy to think it has been a year since I decided on GSLIS. I look how far I have come since then and it's kind of incredible. A year ago on Thursday, I was standing in front of my Coe peers, presenting on my research on Mary Robinson and publicly sharing my memoir about my mom. It seemed appropriate that a year later, I stood in front of my GSLIS peers, sharing my new research.
And as I stood in the front of 126 (the auditorium in GSLIS), everything felt right. I spoke from the heart, passion for the research and the kids I have been working with. This is the research I need to be doing and after weeks of doubting myself, this presentation reminded me why I am doing this. I have always had a desire to tell stories, from my personal memoir, to the almost forgotten Mary Robinson, to the infamous Jane Eyre. And now it's time to tell the story of UNCC. This center has left a huge impact on my life and everyone needs to know about this fantastic kids, their incredible director, and what the center is all about. It felt so good to talk to people after my presentation about the work I (and the other Community Ambassadors) have been doing.
Where I am right now could not have been done all by myself. Yes, there is some privilege involved. There is some hard work. There is some luck. And most importantly, I am because I have been surrounded by incredible friends and family. I vividly remember having a freak out last year at the end of April wondering if going to graduate school was going to happen and if I was making the right choice. And I was so thankful to have Chloe and Millie there to calm me down, to walk around Coe's campus, talking about life and figuring everything out. Or really, not figuring everything out but having faith that things were going to work out. I think to late nights, in the car after late night bowling talking about being big or small fish. I think to coffeeshops in the middle of a lightning storm in downtown Urbana, to late nights eating Sun Chips on a couch, to doing doughnuts in a snowy parking lot. Or hour long FaceTimes, phone calls, email updates, and reunions. To all the pep talks, words of encouragement, happy dances, and life chats. You people (and you know who you are) make my life. Thank you.
The sun is out, my bike is parked outside, and the end of the semester is in sight. Library science is the place to be, and as always, more to come.