This latest venture into a graduate degree and into the Library and Information Science profession, as well as my life in general, are testimonies to God working things out in unexpected ways for good.
While growing up, I enjoyed when my mom would read to my two sisters and me. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I especially like imaginative and faith-filled stories and inspirational true life stories, and I would like to write my own Christian fantasy book at some point. My dad has instilled in me a wonder and a love for the outdoors and a sense of adventure. I really enjoy learning and trying new things.
In college, I completed a Bachelor of Arts in English / communication with a goal of entering the book publishing field, and after graduation I completed the Denver Publishing Institute where I discovered an interest in the production and design sides of publishing as well as the editorial side that originally interested me. I felt God calling me to pursue an Associate of Applied Arts in graphic design. (I had enjoyed a desktop publishing class in high school, but always told myself growing up that I was not good at drawing and art, so that degree was something that scared and challenged me and that I also enjoyed.) During that time, I worked as an office assistant in an academic library and as an editorial and production intern at an academic publishing company.
After graduation, with the economic downturn, I faced a season of unemployment that God used to stretch and grow my character for the better. God then provided me with a job through my family in helping to take care of my grandma who had lung cancer and during that gift of quality time spent with her, I was blessed to be able to use my skills in publishing to compile, edit, design, and self-publish a biography of some of my grandma's incredible life stories.
After my grandma's death, I faced another stretching season of unemployment, before going out to Montana for a season of work with the Montana Conservation Corps working on a trail crew. In Montana, I also grew though that experience and had a lot of time to reflect on life, and also had some time to volunteer at the local library. At the season's close, I felt that book publishing was a presently closed door and that God was calling me into this new area of Library and Information Science.
Libraries have played an invaluable role for me personally throughout my life. I like how public libraries are resources available for free to the general public and that every person who walks through the doors is a living story. I am currently working as a library page at a public library, and I am interested in working in public libraries in the future, but I am also flexible and open to wherever God wants to take me down the road in life.
In the last few years, God has been showing me that one of my greatest gifts is encouragement. Wherever I am at and whatever I am doing in life, I want to love God and others well; I want to point people to God's great love for them and to call out their individual strengths, gifts, talents, personalites, dreams, goals, purposes, and encourage them to be just who God uniquely and wonderfully created them to be.
I sincerely look forward to embarking on this next great adventure into a graduate degree and into the field of Library and Information Science.
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Mystery Babies
9 years ago
