Student Posts

I am Dahlia Thomas, an MSI student in their last semester, vinyl record and K-pop album collector, and expert Splatoon 3 roller! My concentration in this program of study is Cultural Informatics. I was born in Sasebo, Japan, and live in Tampa, FL. I came to Tampa to learn more about Art History and Studio Art at the University of South Florida. I am interested in museums and hope to work for a large museum one day. When not working, crying, or completing assignments, I collect music memorabilia and play Splatoon 3!

I work for the University of South Florida as a Collection Specialist for Special Collections. Through this position, I get hands-on experience scanning, editing, and transcribing historical documents, images, and interviews mainly related to Florida’s environmental and natural history. I mainly work with oral histories but often edit material for USF. These collection items are posted in the Digital Commons @ University of South Florida website for researchers and students to use. 

I have experience working with digital media through graphic design, digital drawing, 3D modeling, and sculpture, but I need to gain experience with modeling. Through my job and graphic design, I know royalty-free and creative commons images, 3D objects, and audio. I want to gain more experience in creating video projects and editing. I am excited to storyboard some video ideas I’ve had for a while.

My name is Nicole Damstetter, and I’m a mom, dog mom, Trekkie, wife, friend, and bibliophile (to name a few things). I’m a transplant to Orlando, Florida from Boston, Massachusetts, thanks to my husband and his family. My move down to Florida inspired my parents to retire nearby and now we’re trying to convince my brother and sister to leave the cold north winters for the year-round sunshine.

I currently work as a Director of Professional Services at Salesforce, leading a team of architects designing and implementing technology for our Public Sector customers. I’ve been with Salesforce for almost 6 years, first as an architect, and now as a leader. I am passionate about using technology for good, and love being able to support my team grow professionally and technically, and see the impact we’re creating directly with our customers.

When I’m not working or studying, I enjoy reading (currently mostly fiction), playing outside with my daughter and dogs, visiting the beach, and listening to Taylor Swift.

I enrolled in the Master of Information Science program in 2020 to continue my education, and dive deeper into learning about school and public library operations and programs. I’m looking forward to stretching myself creatively in this class and learning a few new tech programs.