My previous work history is almost exclusively in high schools, which I loved and hope to return to. I began as a media assistant at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, NC, but left that role to become a classroom substitute teacher at Myers Park High School while I earned my Masters degree. I stayed at Myers Park for three and a half years, though I took brief assignments as a testing associate at Myers Park and Harding University High School. After obtaining my degree, I worked as a substitute media coordinator at South Mecklenburg High School for six months.

I joined the M.L.I.S. program because I fell in love with school libraries when I started volunteering at a local high school. In addition to general school library work, I have a special interest in working with students with learning disabilities and English Language Learners. I enjoy working with teens and helping them build the skills they will need as 21st-century citizens.

My hobbies include photography, hiking with my dog, knitting, writing fiction, and sketching. I will read almost anything I can get my hands on, and have no preference in terms of paper or digital. I am also learning Spanish in my free time, and have begun to experiment with coding a bit.

TECHNOLOGY

As a media specialist/coordinator, knowledge of instructional technology will be an integral part of my role in the school. I have worked extensively with the Google Apps for Education suite, and am in the process of receiving my formal Google Certified Educator Level 1 certification. I am familiar with both Google Classroom and Canvas LMS, having used the former with elementary and middle school students, and the later with high school students and my own graduate work. I also used Blackboard as a student in my master's program, and have used Blackboard and WebEx for webinars and online class sessions.

For more library-specific programs, I have worked with a wide variety of internet databases and two cataloging systems, Horizon and Follett Destiny. I am more familiar with Destiny, and have used several of its extended features, including WebPath Express and the collections feature.