Spectrum Scholarship winners announced

Contact: Gwendolyn Prellwitz


Program Officer, Office for Diversity


312-280-5048
For Immediate Release


June 16, 2005

Spectrum Scholarship winners announced

CHICAGO - The American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Diversity is pleased to announce the eighth cohort of Spectrum Scholarships at ALA's Annual Conference in Chicago, June 23-29. The Spectrum Scholarship Program's major drive is to recruit applicants and award scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students for graduate programs in library and information studies.

Its mission is improving service at the local level through the development of a representative workforce that reflects the communities served by all libraries in the new millennium.

The 2005-6 Spectrum Scholars are:

  • Aryanez Albuquerque, University of South Florida

  • Gabriel Angulo, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Ricardo Antoni, Florida State University

  • Veronica Inez Arellano, University of North Texas

  • Sherlonya Laquisha Augustine, Wayne State University

  • Ofilia Paolo Barrera, Texas Woman's University

  • Eileen Kuan-Veng Bosch, Kent State University

  • Allison D. Broussard, Louisiana State University

  • Tanya Brown - PLA Scholar, University of North Texas

  • Toshiba Lynette Burns-Johnson - Leo Albert Scholar, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

  • Michael Lamont Butler-Harley, Indiana University

  • Claire Kaui Card, San Jose State University

  • Maria Magdalena Cortez-Tafolla, Dominican University

  • Juliette Elaine Douglas, University of Missouri

  • LaToya Charise Eddington, Dominican University

  • Monique Marie Escamilla, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Cheryl Denise Franklin, Texas Woman's University

  • Kimberly Diane Gales , University of Pittsburgh

  • Lesly Galiana, Florida State University

  • Nancy Suzanne Gistover, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  • Karen Annmarie Gordon - Louise Giles Scholar, University of South Florida

  • Michelle Renee Hammond, Catholic University of America

  • Regina Lachelle Harris - PLA Scholar, College of St. Catherine

  • Corinne Ruth Hatcher - Howard M. & Gladys B. Teeple Scholar, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  • Maria Lucia Hernandez, University of North Texas

  • Gregory Alan-Kingman Hom, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Sylvia Estella Johnson, Undecided

  • Alice Pin-Lan Ko, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Janice Lynn Kowemy, University of Texas at Austin

  • Nghi Lam, University of Washington

  • Kafi Ayana Laramore-Josey, University of Michigan

  • Richard Kien Le, San Jose State University

  • Tamara Lynne Lee, College of St. Catherine

  • Yunn-Hwa Lii, University of North Texas

  • Deborah Lois Lilton, Undecided

  • Brenda Marisol Linares, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Sandra D. Littletree, University of Texas at Austin

  • Shu-Hua Liu, San Jose State University

  • Douglas Cleveland Lyles, Undecided

  • Candice Anne Mack - MLA/NLM Scholar, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Josy A. Martinez, Queens College

  • Michelle Pantoja McKinney, University of South Florida

  • Eileen Joyce Mendez, San Jose State University

  • Leah Marie Mickens, University of South Carolina

  • Ghouse S. A. Mohammed - MLA/NLM Scholar, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Vani Natarajan - PLA Scholar, University of Pittsburgh

  • Phuongkhanh Nguyen, San Jose State University

  • Han Ngoc Nguyen, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Megan Zoe Perez, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

  • Patrice D. Prevost - PLA Scholar, Undecided

  • Margaret Siatafu Reid-Leach, University of South Florida

  • Tezeno Lynnette Roberson, University of North Texas

  • Elisabeth Ruth Rodriguez, University of Pittsburgh

  • Melody Ingrid Royster, Florida State University

  • Brandy S. Sanchez, University of Missouri

  • Beatrice Skokan, Florida State University

  • Allen Sweatt, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

  • Neely Tang - Betty J. Turock Scholar, University of Pittsburgh

  • Lana Marrie Thelen - PLA Scholar, Simmons College

  • Chastity Thomas, Pratt Institute

  • Joel Thornton, University of North Texas

  • Grisel Torralbas, University of South Florida

  • Anne Tran, Emporia State University

  • Carly Veary, University of Hawaii

  • Baasil Wilder, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

  • Nicole Williams, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

  • Robert Yazzie, University of Texas at Austin

Established in 1997, ALA committed resources for 50 annual scholarships of $5,000 a year for Spectrum's first four years. The Spectrum program continues to fund scholarships through the initial endowment and the generous contributions of individuals and organizations whose donations support named scholarships in the Spectrum Family of Funds. For 2005, scholarships have been awarded in honor of the following individuals: Leo Albert, Louise Giles, Howard M. and Gladys B. Teeple, and Betty J. Turock.

Additionally, the Public Library Association (PLA) has donated funds that provide assistance to library students of color with an interest in public librarianship to support five PLA Spectrum Scholars in 2005-6. Also this year, the Medical Library Association/National Library of Medicine (MLA/NLM) has raised its commitment to provide an additional named annual award and will now support two scholarships a year through 2010. The MLA/NLM Spectrum Scholarships support students of color with an interest in the field of medical or health sciences librarianship.

The 67 Spectrum Scholarships awarded this year mark the largest cohort of Spectrum Scholars to date. The substantial increase in available scholarships is due both to the generosity of the individuals and organizations above and to a substantial grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Through the three-year “New Voices, New Visions” grant, IMLS will fund 35 scholarships a year in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The IMLS is an independent federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. To learn more about the Institute, please visit:
http://www.imls.gov.

For more information on Spectrum and how you can contribute, please contact the Office for Diversity at 1-800-545-2433 ext. 5048 or visit
www.ala.org/spectrum.