Personal Statement

Like many others who pursued a degree in the liberal arts, I wasn’t sure where my studies would take me professionally. During my undergraduate years at Texas A&M University, my passions for technology, research, and helping others grew. It became clear to me that a career in library and information science would help me to apply and expand these strengths. I spent the last of my college years gaining experience in a variety of library, archive and museum environments. From a business school reference desk to the archives of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, I explored the types of environments where a graduate degree in Library and Information science could take me. Ultimately, I decided to pursue dual graduate degrees in Library Science and History, with the ultimate goal of working in an archives setting. I chose to attend Simmons College in Boston, a city that provided a number of opportunities to apply my passion for the places where technology, history, research and people meet. My first job out of grad school was a brand new public library near Houston, where I learned a great deal about serving a community and building a library collection. My opportunities to innovate were limited in this position, and I soon landed a job as Fossil, Inc’s first librarian and archivist. This role allowed me to develop a library and archives program from scratch, with a focus on design resources and corporate heritage. This role also allowed me to grow as an internal/intranet communicator, culture champion, taxonomist, corporate historian, copywriter, people leader, and competitive intelligence specialist. During my tenure at Fossil, I was given the opportunity to help develop the Interest Genome Project as an early Shuffle collaborator. It was an amazing learning experience and I’m thrilled to see, and use, the fruits of my labor! In 2017 I took on a new role as a Knowledge Manager at HKS Architects. This position has allowed me to continue honing my skills as a organizer of information, a strategic internal communicator, and change management leader. I develop taxonomies, knowledge guides on a variety of industry topics, and strategic enterprise initiatives with the goal of helping our firm work better, faster and smarter.