Three DIS Master's students are among the 61 recipients of the 2020-2021 Spectrum Scholarships awarded by the American Library Association. The Spectrum Scholarship Program 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 assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA.
Abigail Morales is a first-generation college graduate. Her family immigrated to the United States from Guadalajara, Mexico. She has a double Bachelors in Spanish Literature and Political Science from Sonoma State University. Morales has a diverse background in library services, having worked in academic, public, joint-use and K-12 libraries over the last 20 years. Her personal mission is to provide access to everyone. She is a mentor to library personnel and works with staff to achieve their professional library goals. She is an active longtime REFORMA member and is currently serving as a Co-Chair for the REFORMA National Conference, Coordinating Committee overseeing the 50th anniversary event to be held in 2021.
“Find your fellow library gente! They will be the ones to celebrate your milestones and the ones to guide you in your more difficult times,” says Morales. “You will learn and grow with each other. In the end, you will have cultivated your tribe, your support system, your core group of confidants in the library world.”
Morales says her passion is Children’s Literature, and that the highlight of her career has been the work she accomplished by serving on ALA committees that align with that passion. She served on the ALA Newbery Medal Committee in 2019 and the Pura Belpre Medal Committee in 2016. She was also a part of the Pura Belpre Expansion Task Force to integrate a YA medal to the award.
Anon Cadieux has been working at libraries for more than 7 years, starting in their first job position at their university's library in 2011, while achieving their Bachelor's degree. After traveling within the United States and Canada, and teaching English in Europe for 2 years, Cadieux returned to the United States, achieving a position at the New York Public Library in 2016. Since then, Cadieux has worked at Public, Academic, and Military libraries, leading to currently working at the Library of Congress, and hopes to continue to work in special libraries upon receiving their Master's degree.
Ramón García is a graduate student in his final year of the Master of Science in Library Science program. He holds a BA in English with a minor in Mexican American Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. His interest in libraries began at the early age of 3 through visits to his local library with his mother. Currently, García is a Research and User Experience Intern at Southern Methodist University and a Metadata Technician for the University of North Texas’ Special Collections Department. His interests are academic libraries, instruction, and digital humanities.
“Being selected as a Spectrum Scholar means more to me than funding, though it is a tremendous help I am grateful for," said García. "It’s a source of validation, in regard to my studies, and an opportunity for community with other librarians of color,” he added.
The ALA has awarded more than 1240 spectrum scholarships since 1997. The jurors selected this year’s 61 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.
Published July 28, 2020.