For immediate release | August 1, 2024
ALA announces 2024-2025 Spectrum Scholars
CHICAGO — The American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services awarded 2024 Spectrum Scholarships to 70 exceptional students pursuing graduate degrees in library and information studies. Since 1997, ALA has awarded more than 1,600 Spectrum Scholarships. In the most recent application cycle, the Spectrum Scholarship Program received four times as many applications as there were available scholarships, and the majority of this year’s applicants were deemed highly fundable. A prestigious committee of jurors selected this year’s Spectrum Scholars based on their commitment to community building, leadership potential, and planned contributions to making social justice part of everybody's everyday work in LIS.
The 2024-2025 Spectrum Scholars are:
Alia Suad al-Ghabra, San Jose State University
Akua Serwaa Amponsah, Pratt Institute
Mikayla Aviles, Louisiana State University
Deleon MW (Wilson) Awill, Louisiana State University
Ana Lizeth Balen, San Jose State University
Louis Kelly Curtis Banks IV, Simmons University
Karla Barreiro, San Jose State University
Leia Carman Barrow, Simmons University
Sarah A. Meihui Bernstein, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Charmaine Branch, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Shanika Nicole Brown, University of North Carolina - Greensboro
Mateo Leon Caballero, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Reyna Campuzano Scarfo, San Jose State University
Citlalli Cardenas, Dominican University
Guadalupe Castillo, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Nebraska Chatham, Simmons University
Sarah Dababneh, University of Michigan
De'Ivyion Emonne Drew, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Rachel Erskine, Emporia State University
Maricela Garcia Serrano, San Jose State University
Lupita Gonzalez, University of Oklahoma
Amy Guerrero, University of Maryland
Tyler Aidan Hernandez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Jasmarie Hernandez-Canuelas, University of Puerto Rico
Giselle Herrera, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Bethany Hill, University of Tennessee
Annabelle Hiu Ying Ho, Valdosta State University
Alayna Sofia Jasso, Catholic University of America
Gabriela Jasso, San Jose State University
Armaan Singh Kalkat, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Euncho Ko, University of Alberta
Tamika Lynn Lax, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
Maryan Ali Liban, Kent State University
Amy Lim, University of Alberta
Leslie Lopez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Diana Iridian Manriquez-Rivera, San Jose State University
Ana Laura Martinez, San Jose State University
Sandra Martinez, University of Washington
Melissa McCall, University of Washington
Kai Miyabayashi McGinn, Simmons University
Katherine Mendoza Gonzalez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Vanessa Mondragon, Valdosta State University
Aliyah Muhammad, San Jose State University
Kathia Perez-Enriquez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Varinthorn Punakananda Nakkeow, San Jose State University
Indira Nauth, San Jose State University
Nyakundi James Nyambane, Drexel University
Dalia Ortiz Pon, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Amaobi Kenechi Otiji, Rutgers University
Erica Owan, University of Washington
Grace J. Park, University of British Columbia
Maria Guadalupe Partida, University of Texas - Austin
Kaylee Danielle Paul, Simmons University
Kizuwanda Raines, Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Vanessa Lizette Rodrigson, San Jose State University
Ina Marie Samuel, San Jose State University
Isabella Marie Sanchez, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Bryn Shaffer, University of British Columbia
Anita Sharma, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Michelle Sosa, San Jose State University
Emily Chen Taina, San Jose State University
Elizabeth Tibebu, University of Maryland
Jennie Margaret To, University of Washington
Kate Uesugi, San Jose State University
Hilda Vazquez Medina, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Daniel Vesurai, Valdosta State University
Grace Villanueva, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Lia Warner, San Jose State University
Ian Anthony Wheeler, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Phoebe Yip, San Jose State University
The Spectrum program funds scholarships through its endowment and the generous contributions of individuals and organizations whose donations support named scholarships in the Spectrum Family of Funds. For 2024–2025, scholarships have been awarded in honor of the following supporters: Leo Albert, the Calloway family, Louise Giles, William R. Gordon, Satia Marshall Orange, Miriam Tuliao, and Dr. Betty J. Turock.
Scholarships have also been awarded from sponsoring organizations including ProQuest, Part of Clarivate; OCLC (OCLC/Core Scholar); Northern California & Nevada Medical Library Group; National Library of Medicine; the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL); the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC); Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA); and the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) of the American Library Association.
ALA offers thanks to the 2024 Spectrum Scholarship Jury for their work:
Nia Lam – Co-Chair (Media Studies Librarian at University of Washington Bothell & Cascadia College Library ), Alicia Zuniga – Co-Chair (Public Health & Science Librarian at California State University, Sacramento), Saegan Anderson, Megha Bamola (Youth and Family Outreach Specialist at Oak Park Public Library), Bradley Bibbs (Adult Services Librarian at Aurora Public Library District), Monica Boyer (Senior Manager of Children’s Services at Aurora Public Library District Library), Emma N. De Vera (State Library Programs Specialist at Minnesota State Library Services), CJ Garcia (Research and Instruction Librarian at A.T. Still University), Meera Garud (Instructor and School Library Coordinator at University of Hawaii at Manoa), Christy Hogan (Collection Development Librarian at University of Alabama at Birmingham), Jasmine Kirby (Assistant Librarian at the University of Utah), Bradley Kuykendall (Floater Branch Manager at Dayton Metro Library), Anthony Martinez (Student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Ida Teresa Martinez (Science Librarian at Wayne State University), Angelica Mejia (Librarian at Carlsbad City Library) Margaret Puentes, Anjelica T. Rufus-Barnes – Lead Juror (Reference Librarian at Prospect Heights Public Library District), Conrrado Saldivar (Outreach and Development Librarian at Wyoming State Library), Joy Shioshita - Lead Juror (Former Supervising Librarian at Berkeley Public Library), Isabel Soto-Luna (Business Librarian at University of Nebraska Omaha), Julia Stone (Open Scholarship Librarian at Portland State University), Jasmine C. Sykes-Kunk (Head of Research Services at John Hay Library, Brown University),
Through the Spectrum Scholarship Program, ALA advances racial equity by connecting new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians with a network committed to mutual support, advancing one another’s leadership, and making social justice part of everybody's everyday work.
The Spectrum Scholarship Program actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students.
To learn more about the Spectrum Scholarship Program, please contact ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services at spectrum@ala.org or visit www.ala.org/spectrum. The application period for 2024 Spectrum Scholarships will open in September 2024.
Contact:
Anjali Jain
Program Officer, Community Engagement
Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS)
ajain@ala.orgFeatured News