Why are, or were, you in academia?
I’m in academia because I love learning new things, and helping others do the same. As a librarian I get to help people find answers to their questions, and because everyone asks different questions I am constantly learning interesting things.
What do you hope your research will achieve? How do you think your work contributes to the world?
While I have my library degree, I’m planning on going back for my PhD in Education Psychology and Methodolgy. I want to study learning disabilities related to writing, and hopefully create a better understanding. A lot of the time kids with learning disabilities related to writing are labeled as lazy and aren’t diagnosed accurately until much later than children with other types of learning disability. This can affect their ability to do well in school, and affect their confidence. If educators and parents are more aware of these conditions, I hope kids will receive the help they need in school sooner, and maybe go on to do amazing things.
What do you do outside of your academic work?
I love hiking and gardening. I studied farming in college, and now I’ve turned my backyard into a mini-vegetable farm. I also volunteer with a human services charity, helping them to organize and maintain their file systems.