Overall, my time in SJSU's MLIS program has been invaluable. I have learned so much about the LIS field and myself. Before officially beginning the program, I was so hesitant to go through a graduate program again (this is my second journey through grad school). Having now completed the program, I realized I was more than prepared to go through the grad school journey again. Having a year of library work experience as I started the program really helped shape my journey. I was able to apply what I was learning in the classroom to a practical setting at work. I believe it was doing this that helped me gain a promotion and other professional development opportunities that came my way. Some of my biggest achievements in the program included:
Getting the opportunity to participate in the Jail and Reentry Services' Reference-by-Mail program (mentioned in Comp. C) where I got to answer reference letters from incarcerated individuals and learn more about the information needs of this community and services that contribute to EDI work.
Serving as Social Media Co-Director for SJSU's SLASC (mentioned in Comp. M) where I got to work with various social media tools to promote and advocate for this student chapter of the Special Library Association. This gave me invaluable leadership experience.
Serving as a peer mentor for incoming MLIS students (mentioned in Comp. K) where I mentored new MLIS students coming into the program by creating learning experiences tailored towards them. I also got to serve as a teaching assistant to a section of Info-203 where I gained invaluable teaching experience.
Getting the opportunity to present my work and experiences with the JARS program at the 2022 College of Professional and Global Education's Online Student Conference (mentioned in Comp. M). Presenting at the conference gave me much needed presentation experience and the opportunity to network with my peers.
Gaining more work experience in the form of an internship with the National Park Service's Golden Gate National Recreation Area (mentioned in Comp. F). This internship opened my eyes to the fascinating world of archival work and the preservation methods used to make the history of national parks accessible to anyone.
My entire education experience, along with some of my biggest achievements in the MLIS program, will prove to be a valuable asset in my career. Other than new education experiences, I have learned a great deal about my myself including my strengths.
Right from the beginning of the program, I was thrown into working in two different teams for two different classes. In total, I worked in seven teams during my tenure in the program. Teamwork is a skill I feel that I fully developed. In the past three years I have worked with people with different personalities to accomplish different goals. I feel like I have developed the experience to work in different group settings while working to establish a group community to work towards a common goal. Through the creation of various presentations and outreach experiences, I fell like I have also grown in regards to my communication skills. Coming into the library world, I was more shy and timid than I am now. Working on my verbal and written communication skills through various school and work projects really helped me "break out of my shell" more and helped improve my communication at work. Reflecting back on the past two years, it has been a non-stop time of change. Through beginning grad school right before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have dealt with amounts of change in my professional life. Managing change is a skill I fell that I also further developed from my schooling and work experience.
Looking ahead to the future, I plan to continue to work on my teamwork, communication, and change management skills along with the other skills and knowledge I have gained along the way. I consider myself a life-long leaner, so this is only one more stop on my knowledge journey. Thinking about my career path ahead of me, I plan to continue my professional development by learning more about technologies and emerging technologies including writing for the web and working with websites. I also want to continue to work with underrepresented populations in some way. I'm already thinking of ways I can incorporate my work with LIS services towards incarcerated individuals. Lastly, I want to continue my leadership journey by becoming involved with professional organizations and maybe even assuming a leadership position one day. From my experiences, I know now that I am capable of undertaking a leadership role and leading a group towards fulfilling it's mission and goals.
This has been quite an amazing experience. I want to express all deepest gratitude towards all the professors I had for teaching me something new, classmates I worked with for being a collaborative ear, my coworkers who gave me their advice and support, and my family and friends for being a shoulder to cry on and a full support system. I also want to thank myself because I kept the promise I made to myself when I first began the program, that I would be done in two years.
You'll notice the pictures of beautiful outdoor places I have on each page on this e-portfolio. Each picture was taken at a place I visited during my time in the program. I made so memories at each place, and after each trip, returned to work and school duties felling refreshed and rested. Grad school can be super stressful, and as such, we have to remember to practice self-care in whichever ways we can that makes us feel happy. For me, that was exploring the outdoors and getting a change of scenery once in a while. So, I'd like to say thank you to all the beautiful places I visited while in the program. Experiencing the beauty of those places for a few hours, days, or a weekend really helped me get through the stressful and tough times. I can't wait to see the places I'll go in the future.
-Michael
All introductory, reflective, and evidentiary work submitted is mine alone (except where indicated as a group of team project), and has been prepared solely by me.
I am protecting the privacy of the contents of my e-Portfolio by password protecting it or by sharing the URL only with my e-Portfolio advisor.
Before making my e-Portfolio public I will respect the privacy of others by removing mention in this e-Portfolio of information that could lead to the identity of individuals (team members in group projects, internship supervisors, interviewees, etc.) and institutions.
Michael Van Aken
Photo credit: San Onofre State Beach, CA by: Michael Van Aken