Greetings everyone! My name is Lauren Diaz and I grew up in Windermere, FL. I attended Florida State University for my undergraduate studies where I pursued a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Law Enforcement Intelligence. Although I began my studies with hopes to one day become a Forensic Psychologist, my Forensic Psychology professor at Florida State University, who also had a J.D., inspired me to first pursue law school. During the peak of the pandemic, I began my law school journey on Zoom. At the beginning of my last semester of law school and after 2 1/2 years of studying and preparing to become a criminal defense attorney, I realized I did not want to become an attorney. Although I met many attorneys who had the job I had always dreamed of, none of them had the life I wanted to live. During my final semester of law school, I began scrambling to find a job with a work/life balance. I was enrolled in an Advanced Legal Research Techniques course and realized all of the aspects of law school I enjoyed were truly law librarianship. For example, I was the TA for Legal Research and Writing and was heavily involved in law review. This link will take you to the Nova Law Review’s website where you can explore the organization: https://thenovalawreview.org/new-page
Ultimately, I found refuge in the law library and made contact with the Dean of the Law Library. The Dean of the Law Library created a law librarianship program for me to complete and upon graduating I was offered a position as a Research and Reference Librarian at the Panza Maurer Law Library at Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad College of Law with the condition that I complete an MLIS program or equivalent. The following link will lead you to the website of the law library: https://www.law.nova.edu/library/staff.html
Apart from working as a law librarian, I am also an adjunct professor for the same Advanced Legal Research Techniques course I previously took. Everything has truly come full circle. When I am not working or in school, I love to read, write academic articles, and collect Pokemon cards. One area of scholarship that I consistently write about is intellectual property and I am hoping this course can enhance my knowledge on copyright. Additionally, my family has a Pokemon-collecting business and one of the reasons I am taking this course is to learn more about digital media in terms of marketing. Another reason I am taking this course is to better improve the promotional and informational material sent out by the library and how to improve my presence on Canvas and other platforms for my students.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much for sharing more about yourself! I am impressed by your honesty with yourself and your willingness to make a change in the middle of school. I feel like it took a lot of courage to do that and be honest with yourself I am sure it was a huge weight lifted off your shoulders and I agree that your happiness is the biggest factor at the end of the day.
I too make a career change as a result of the pandemic. I have my B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism from Rosen at the University of Central Florida. I was doing an internship at Disney in the corporate office with the Guest Service team. When the world shut down, my internship ended and I sought work-from-home jobs due to the uncertainty of the next few months. I found the company I currently work for which is a payroll software company and that is what led me to pursue my Masters in Information Technology.
Hi Lauren,
It’s nice to meet you virtually! I originally wanted to get my B.S in Hospitality and Tourism here at FSU, as it was always a field I enjoyed and worked in during high school. However, I
Hi Lauren,
I accidentally hit post before finishing my reply and am unsure how to delete the previous one LOL. As I was saying I originally wanted to get my B.S in Hospitality but became interested in technology and decided to get my B.S in Information Tech, I am currently working on my Masters in IT too. I used to be so certain I knew what
Part 2 – I wanted to get my degree in and I think for many people that changes as it did for you. However, I am happy you found your passion! I apologize again for the complicated comments. Good luck in the class!!
Hi Lauren,
loved reading about your switch from wanting to pursue a degree in law to becoming a law librarian instead. I have always found that field so interesting and am glad that it helped you find the path to a career that is both rewarding and fulfilling. I can relate to a sudden switch in careers as well, when I started my undergrad degree I was doing biochemistry to become a pharmacist, and like you realized that although it was a stable career choice, it would not give me the life that I wanted.
Hi Lauren,
Wow! I am so impressed by your post. I honestly never considered Law Librarianship, and certainly didn’t know what it was, until reading your introduction. I think it’s incredible that you felt confident and passionate enough to shift your focus to what you love doing, instead of feeling obligated to finish a program you weren’t in love with – just because you were that close. I know it’s not exactly the same thing, but when I was starting out my undergrad, I considered being a Religious Studies major or a Marine Biology major; two completely different roads… I ended up majoring in English and now I’m a librarian…
I also really think it’s amazing that your professor helped guide you. Even if it’s not the course you ended up choosing, having those figures in your life is really important.
Finally, I figured I’d get through my serious comments first… but a POKEMON-COLLECTING BUSINESS? That sounds fascinating. What exactly does one do in such a job?!
Anyway, best of luck this semester and I hope everything works out for the best for you!