91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The 91´«Ã½'s (91´«Ã½) Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services awarded 2024 Spectrum Scholarships to 70 exceptional students pursuing graduate degrees in library and information studies. Since 1997, 91´«Ã½ has awarded more than 1,600 Spectrum Scholarships. In the most recent application cycle, the Spectrum Scholarship Program received four times as many applications as there were available scholarships, and the majority of this year’s applicants were deemed highly fundable. A prestigious committee of jurors selected this year’s 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.

The 2024-2025 Spectrum Scholars are:

Alia Suad al-Ghabra, San Jose State University

Akua Serwaa Amponsah, Pratt Institute

Mikayla Aviles, Louisiana State University

Deleon MW (Wilson) Awill, Louisiana State University

Ana Lizeth Balen, San Jose State University

Louis Kelly Curtis Banks IV, Simmons University

Karla Barreiro, San Jose State University

Leia Carman Barrow, Simmons University

Sarah A. Meihui Bernstein, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Charmaine Branch, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Shanika Nicole Brown, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

Mateo Leon Caballero, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Reyna Campuzano Scarfo, San Jose State University

Citlalli Cardenas, Dominican University

Guadalupe Castillo, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Nebraska Chatham, Simmons University

Sarah Dababneh, University of Michigan

De'Ivyion Emonne Drew, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Rachel Erskine, Emporia State University

Maricela Garcia Serrano, San Jose State University

Lupita Gonzalez, University of Oklahoma

Amy Guerrero, University of Maryland

Tyler Aidan Hernandez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Jasmarie Hernandez-Canuelas, University of Puerto Rico

Giselle Herrera, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Bethany Hill, University of Tennessee

Annabelle Hiu Ying Ho, Valdosta State University

Alayna Sofia Jasso, Catholic University of America

Gabriela Jasso, San Jose State University

Armaan Singh Kalkat, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Euncho Ko, University of Alberta

Tamika Lynn Lax, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis

Maryan Ali Liban, Kent State University

Amy Lim, University of Alberta

Leslie Lopez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Diana Iridian Manriquez-Rivera, San Jose State University

Ana Laura Martinez, San Jose State University

Sandra Martinez, University of Washington

Melissa McCall, University of Washington

Kai Miyabayashi McGinn, Simmons University

Katherine Mendoza Gonzalez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Vanessa Mondragon, Valdosta State University

Aliyah Muhammad, San Jose State University

Kathia Perez-Enriquez, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Varinthorn Punakananda Nakkeow, San Jose State University

Indira Nauth, San Jose State University

Nyakundi James Nyambane, Drexel University

Dalia Ortiz Pon, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Amaobi Kenechi Otiji, Rutgers University

Erica Owan, University of Washington

Grace J. Park, University of British Columbia

Maria Guadalupe Partida, University of Texas - Austin

Kaylee Danielle Paul, Simmons University

Kizuwanda Raines, Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Vanessa Lizette Rodrigson, San Jose State University

Ina Marie Samuel, San Jose State University

Isabella Marie Sanchez, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Bryn Shaffer, University of British Columbia

Anita Sharma, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Michelle Sosa, San Jose State University

Emily Chen Taina, San Jose State University

Elizabeth Tibebu, University of Maryland

Jennie Margaret To, University of Washington

Kate Uesugi, San Jose State University

Hilda Vazquez Medina, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Daniel Vesurai, Valdosta State University

Grace Villanueva, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Lia Warner, San Jose State University

Ian Anthony Wheeler, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Phoebe Yip, San Jose State University

The Spectrum program funds scholarships through its endowment and the generous contributions of individuals and organizations whose donations support named scholarships in the Spectrum Family of Funds. For 2024–2025, scholarships have been awarded in honor of the following supporters: Leo Albert, the Calloway family, Louise Giles, William R. Gordon, Satia Marshall Orange, Miriam Tuliao, and Dr. Betty J. Turock.

Scholarships have also been awarded from sponsoring organizations including ProQuest, Part of Clarivate; OCLC (OCLC/Core Scholar); Northern California & Nevada Medical Library Group; National Library of Medicine; the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL); the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC); Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA); and the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) of the 91´«Ã½.

91´«Ã½ offers thanks to the 2024 Spectrum Scholarship Jury for their work:

Nia Lam – Co-Chair (Media Studies Librarian at University of Washington Bothell & Cascadia College Library ), Alicia Zuniga – Co-Chair (Public Health & Science Librarian at California State University, Sacramento), Saegan Anderson, Megha Bamola (Youth and Family Outreach Specialist at Oak Park Public Library), Bradley Bibbs (Adult Services Librarian at Aurora Public Library District), Monica Boyer (Senior Manager of Children’s Services at Aurora Public Library District Library), Emma N. De Vera (State Library Programs Specialist at Minnesota State Library Services), CJ Garcia (Research and Instruction Librarian at A.T. Still University), Meera Garud (Instructor and School Library Coordinator at University of Hawaii at Manoa), Christy Hogan (Collection Development Librarian at University of Alabama at Birmingham), Jasmine Kirby (Assistant Librarian at the University of Utah), Bradley Kuykendall (Floater Branch Manager at Dayton Metro Library), Anthony Martinez (Student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Ida Teresa Martinez (Science Librarian at Wayne State University), Angelica Mejia (Librarian at Carlsbad City Library) Margaret Puentes, Anjelica T. Rufus-Barnes – Lead Juror (Reference Librarian at Prospect Heights Public Library District), Conrrado Saldivar (Outreach and Development Librarian at Wyoming State Library), Joy Shioshita - Lead Juror (Former Supervising Librarian at Berkeley Public Library), Isabel Soto-Luna (Business Librarian at University of Nebraska Omaha), Julia Stone (Open Scholarship Librarian at Portland State University), Jasmine C. Sykes-Kunk (Head of Research Services at John Hay Library, Brown University),

Through the Spectrum Scholarship Program, 91´«Ã½ advances racial equity by connecting new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians with a network committed to mutual support, advancing one another’s leadership, and making social justice part of everybody's everyday work.

The Spectrum Scholarship Program actively 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 learn more about the Spectrum Scholarship Program, please contact 91´«Ã½’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services at spectrum@ala.org or visit . The application period for 2024 Spectrum Scholarships will open in September 2024.