ALA announces 2026-2027 Spectrum Scholars

CHICAGO — The American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services awarded 2026 Spectrum Scholarships to 60 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 2026-2027 Spectrum Scholars are:

Laura M. Aguilera, University of Maryland

Wala Al-Sadi, McGill University

Luna Celeste Armas, University of Illinois

Lucy Batres Rodriguez, Simmons University

Kristen Beck, San Jose State University

Dr. Mary E. Bonnetty, University of Hawaii

Telana Raynell Breckenridge, Louisiana State University

Morgan Kaylee Bueza, University of Illinois

Cristina Maria Canales, San Jose State University

Cecilia Teresa Caro, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Jazzeline Celindro, University of Illinois

Jocelyn Chang, University of California - Los Angeles

Carole Yoke-kew Chee, Dominican University

Marisela Chevez, San Jose State University

Melina Combs, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

Brigid Irene Conroy, Louisiana State University

Jessica Covington, University of Illinois

Gabriella Diaz, University of Maryland

Violeta Duncan, McGill University

Sonia Egharevba, University of British Columbia

Rocio Espinoza, San Jose State University

Mitzi Garcia Hernandez, San Jose State University

Ana Paola Garza, Texas Woman's University

DaVonna Phoenix Hytower, San Jose State University

Jacquelyn Kim, Indiana University

Rujipa Laosin, University of Arizona

Rachel Lau, University of British Columbia

Emilia Marrujo, University of California - Los Angeles

Nina Miller, Louisiana State University

Isabel Mayne Munoz, Dominican University

Nicole-Bethany Onwuka, Syracuse University

Michelle Paez, Simmons University

Amelia Grace Palacios, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Nubia Nohemi Pena, Louisiana State University

Zohra Qazi, University of South Florida

Zuzelle Ramos, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Hyunjung "Crystal" Rie, San Jose State University

Gracia Rivera Ferrera, Dominican University

Luna Saber-Bilder, San Jose State University

Holly Lilith Samayoa, University of Washington

Sage Scanlon-Perez, University of California - Los Angeles

Tarza Tawfiq, University of Missouri - Columbia

Yasmin Teja, University of South Florida

Abby Thomason, Valdosta State University

Jon Tremaria, University of Illinois

Valarie Turner, Emporia State University

Erika Angela Vásquez, Texas Woman's University

Sherry Vazhayil, University of Washington

Karylee Velez, Indiana University Purdue University

Maria Cecilia Viana, University College London

Nancy Vu, University of North Texas

Reagan Walker, Simmons University

Sofia Isabel Peña Wallace, University of Maryland

Nicole Marie Whetsel, North Carolina Central University

Chloe Kathryn Williams, San Jose State University

Nyla Celeste Williams, Louisiana State University

Jordan Wright, University of Illinois

Miriam Xia, McGill University

Alisha Zaheer, San Jose State University

Majesty Zander, Valdosta State University

The Spectrum Scholarship 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 2026–2027, 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 2026 Spectrum Scholarship Jury for their work:

Ida Martinez – Co-Chair (Science Librarian at Wayne State University), Alicia Zuniga – Co-Chair (Public Health & Science Librarian at California State University, Sacramento), Buenaventura Basco, Bradley Bibbs, Marisa Bell,  Nikole Brown, Carol Choi, Leah Choi, Helen Christian, Jessica Dai, Jennifer Garrett, Amy Hanaway, Christy Hogan, Jasmine Kirby, Tina Liu, Janelle Lyons, Lisa Maholmes, Anthony Martinez, Christina Marie Nhek, Anjelica T. Rufus-Barnes – Lead Juror, Andrea Serna, Margarita Carrillo Shawcross, Joy Shioshita, Jasmine C. Sykes-Kunk -- Lead Juror, Raina Uheina Tuakoi, Evie Wang.

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 2027 Spectrum Scholarships will open in September 2026.

About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For nearly 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.