Ivelisse Maldonado named YALSA’s 2013 Spectrum Scholar

CHICAGO — As part of its commitment to furthering diversity in the profession, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) chose Ivelisse Maldonado as its 2012-2013 Spectrum Scholar. She has attended North Carolina Central University since August 2011, pursuing a Master of Library Science degree (MLS) with a concentration in school media.

Maldonado states that her passion for the library developed as a teen through her involvement with the non-profit organization ASPIRA, which encourages Hispanic students to stay in school, prepare them to succeed in education, develop their leadership skills and to serve their community. She served as a president of her high school’s chapter and also vice president for the state of Connecticut.  She consistently used the public library as a tool to help her learn and grow as a young adult.

 “I am inspired to be a school librarian because I want to help nurture students’ love of learning,” Maldonado said. “The library was a place that changed my life by helping me understand readers are leaders, and knowledge is power.”

She looks forward to the Spectrum mentor program and appreciates the professional development opportunities that the program affords.

Maldonado is YALSA’s fifth sponsored Spectrum Scholar, a program funded by the Friends of YALSA.

Established in 1997, the Spectrum Scholarship Program is an ALA initiative to increase diversity in the profession.  Spectrum recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and our organization.  The program's aim is to increase the number of racially and ethnically diverse professionals in the field of library and information science to best position libraries at the core of today’s culturally diverse communities. Spectrum has provided more than 700 scholarships to qualified applicants enrolled in an ALA-accredited graduate program in library and information studies or an AASL-recognized School Library program. To learn more about the Spectrum Scholarship Program, visit www.ala.org/spectrum.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.  For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.