Hey y’all! My name is Jordan Tracy, and I am originally from the Acadiana Region, also known as Cajun Country: Lafayette, LA. I have been living in Pensacola, FL, for almost 4 years now with my husband and our two pups, Penny and River. We also live about 20 minutes from my favorite place in the world…the beach. The biggest culture shock is not having the day off for Mardi Gras. I graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Geaux Cajuns!) in 2015 with a bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in photography. This is my very last semester here at FSU! After I graduate, my goal is to become a Youth Services librarian.
My public library career began in 2018 when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life. Could I have made a career with my photography degree by doing freelance work? Maybe. But I felt I was losing passion, and I started to see it more as a hobby. It was when I saw a job opening in the circulation department at my hometown library. I thought, “I like books, and it will be a pretty chill job.” Oh boy, was I wrong. That job completely changed my perception of working in libraries. I cringe when someone asks, “Oh, you work in a library? You must read so many books!” I worked at the library for almost three years until my husband and I had to pack up and move to Florida. He got accepted to work on a PhD through UF, and that inspired me to get my MLIS degree. I currently work at the West Florida Public Library system in Escambia County in the STEAM department (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), where I get to do fun and educational programs for our wonderful community!
I like to consider myself an old soul. In my free time, I love to listen to thrillers on audiobook while I cross stitch. I also love going to the beach to collect seashells, going on nature walks, and identifying birds. My favorite things are The Office, Taylor Swift, crawfish, The Sims, iced coffee, and books. Looking forward to learning new skills in this class!
You can find me adding books to my ever-growing TBR list on Goodreads!
My first thought when opening your post – I’ve been there! There being the Biltmore of course. I also recently had the opportunity to visit the Breakers, aka the Vanderbilt’s summer home in Newport, RI, and I was just as blown away by it as I was by the Biltmore. Definitely a great tour if you have a chance to visit!
As someone who is also still figuring out their passion and career, I appreciate hearing about your experiences thus far and how they’ve shaped your journey. And I really appreciated that you shared your Goodreads profile! I need to get to work on one of those myself, but we definitely share a similar favorites shelf. I LOVED The House in the Cerulean Sea – if you haven’t read it already, Under the Whispering Door was also fantastic!
Hi Jordan! Penny and River are the sweetest. Welcome to Florida! I have family that lives in Pensacola. One day, my husband and I would love to visit the land of Louisiana. It’s been our goal trip for some time now. I found libraries pretty similar to the way you did. I applied for a job when I was in high school and then fell in love with it, but it was not at all what someone who hasn’t ever worked in the field would expect. I like that you captioned your photos. I didn’t think to do that in mine, but I wouldn’t have recognized the Estate behind you if you hadn’t. My friends have urged us to visit the Biltmore Estate during our next trip north. What were your thoughts on visiting? I, too, consider myself an old soul who enjoys listening to audiobooks while crafting, cross-stitch being one of my collected hobbies, and I still drink my iced coffee even on 29-degree days like we’ve had this week. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Hey Jordan! I love Louisiana! While stationed in Biloxi, one of my favorite things was exploring New Orleans, and I also have family in Shreveport/Bossier City. But hey, nothing beats the beach!
I also hate the misconceptions about working in libraries! They (the public) come in on quiet days like “Oh this is so easy and quiet.” I’m like, don’t let the smooth taste fool you, because when it goes down, it is a rude awakening! But there is no other place like it. It’s so cool that your library has a whole STEAM department. I’m sure your fine arts degree gives you so many cool ideas for programming!
I of course took a glance at your TBR list, and you have some heavy hitters on there that I think you should read immediately! Circe, All of Us Villians, ACOTR, Mexican Gothic, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo should all go to the top! And also, if you read Circe, please also read The Song of Achilles. It will break you down.
Congrats on being almost done with grad school!