Ms. Houston grew up in Austin, Texas and spent most of her free time in high school dancing with the drill team and driving her minivan around town. After graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio, she worked as an AM radio production assistant and hospital pharmacy technician, and then taught kindergarten and first grade for eight years in Houston and the Austin area. 

Ms. Houston moved to Boston in 2011 to pursue her dream of becoming a librarian and earned her MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons. Shortly after being hired by CRLS, she realized how much she values the diverse voices in Cambridge and prefers working with high school students. When she’s not in the library teaching research lessons or helping students find their next favorite book, she likes to read, bake desserts, solve puzzles, and work in her garden.

The high school version of Ms. Hancock lived in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA where she spent lots of time reading, writing for the school ~newsmagazine~ and, randomly, volunteering at the Georgia Aquarium. Much to her dismay, she has few memories in her own high school library (?!). Following high school, she studied English at Rhodes College, did a semester-long backpacking trip in the Southwest, and completed a few AmeriCorps stints in Wyoming and Vermont.

After falling into an elementary librarian job in Newport, VT, Ms. Hancock realized that school librarianship was the path for her. She moved to Boston in 2022 to complete her MLIS and teacher certification at Simmons University. Since living in Boston, Ms. Hancock has worked in multiple public libraries and has taught in Brookline and Boston schools. She's also made some lifelong friends, found a beautiful walking route along the Charles, and alerted 311 to dead vermin countless times.

Ms. Hancock is so excited to work with the CRLS community to enhance learning, encourage lifelong reading, and create a positive environment for students. 

Ms. Prather grew up not too far (depending on traffic) from Cambridge in Milton, MA and spent her time in high school writing poetry and making music with her friends. She traveled south for college to go to Emory University, where she focused on all things language by studying Creative Writing and Linguistics, sang in the gospel choir, and tutored at the writing center. 

Now back in the Boston area, Ms. Prather is excited to get into librarianhip by working with CRLS. She hopes to encourage students to discover what their best path is to become engaged readers and students. When she’s not in the library or reading, you’ll find her writing, watching D&D actual plays, or diligently following the NFL.