Spring 2026

My name is Jennifer Gayle, and I currently live in Naples, Florida. I work as an elementary school teacher in Collier County Public Schools, where I have taught second through fifth grade, spending most of my career in third grade. Teaching has been a meaningful and rewarding experience, and it has played a major role in shaping my professional goals.

I am in my second semester of Florida State University’s Master of Science in Information program, following the school libraries specialization. While I enjoy classroom teaching, I feel ready to explore new opportunities that allow me to support students and teachers in a broader way. My goal is to transition into a media specialist role, where I can combine my instructional experience with information and media literacy.

Outside of work and school, I stay busy with family life. I am a mom of six and a grandmother of two, and much of our time is spent supporting my youngest daughters in competitive dance. I also enjoy visiting Walt Disney World and taking advantage of the beautiful beaches here in Naples.

One of the things that interests me most about this class is the focus on digital media and design. I enjoy experimenting with digital tools, even when it takes a bit of trial and error.  I am at a fairly basic level. Through this course, I hope to develop a stronger understanding of how to create high-quality, effective digital content that I can use both professionally and personally.

I am looking forward to learning alongside my classmates and expanding my skill set as I continue working toward my future role in school libraries.

“Does anybody have a map?
Anybody maybe happen to know how the hell to do this?
I don’t know if you can tell
But this is me just pretending to know

So where’s the map?
I need a clue
‘Cause the scary truth is
I’m flying blind
And I’m making this up as I go“

– Anybody Have a Map from Dear Evan Hansen

Hello, everyone! My name is Nyabi ( “Ny” like “Sky”) and I live in Miami, FL. This is my second to last semester in the MSI program; I am also pursuing the School Librarian Leadership certificate! I am really looking forward to this class and am excited to get to know you all! 

The Journey So Far: 

I began working in libraries while studying as an undergraduate student at Hampshire College. For the past 4 years, I have worked at the University of Miami’s Richter Library where I manage the Peer Research Consultant program, and staff our Research Help Desk. In this role, I get the opportunity to manage a wonderful group of student workers and aid the liaison librarians with research consultations, library instruction sessions, along with other fun programs held in our library Learning Commons, such as our upcoming Crafternoon event! hope to continue working with college-level students, potentially as a subject liaison or student success librarian, however I am open to other opportunities in various school settings. 

Hobbies and Special Interests: 

Here is a picture of my two cats. Esme enjoys her personal space… and Eli also enjoys Esme’s personal space.

Why LIS 5313?  

I already enjoy many aspects of design. At work I have helped with several artistic projects such as creating event posters, designing research guides, and using Adobe Premiere to edit an informational video titled “Using AI for Research.” I hope to learn many more tips to improve my creative instinct, and help me make better design choices. I am particularly excited to learn more about typography. Personally, I can spend hours just selecting fonts, so I am curious to learn more about the theories designers use to help with these choices. 

Hello everyone! My name is Christina Mumpower and I am currently in my second semester as a Masters in Information student at Florida State University. I received my bachelors in Education Sciences at the University of Florida in May 2025. I was born and raised in California, but after a few moves thanks to my Navy husband, we have settled just south of Jacksonville, Florida. I also have a 17-year-old junior in high school whom I adore.

I currently work at an elementary school in the Clay County School District as a media tech (library assistant). I love my job and have my Media certificate, but school media specialist jobs are becoming harder to find in this district. I obtained my 6-12 English certificate as well and hope to be in a teaching position next school year.

I am an older student, having paused my schooling for various reasons. As I started working in schools, I fell in love with my media tech job and decided that I wanted to be a librarian, whether it be in a high school, college, or a public library. This led me to go back to school so I could reach that goal. Better late than never!

This class piqued my interest as I have started dabbling in media presentations for lessons I create and know that adding visual interest and interactivity to lessons can lead to more engaged students. 

When I am not working or studying, I try to travel as much as possible, attend trivia nights with my friends every week, and go to as many ECHL hockey games as possible (go Icemen!). I also am an avid reader, which probably comes as no surprise. I look forward to learning with you all!

Introduction

Hello all! My name is Melody Murray, and I live in Jacksonville, FL. Jacksonville is where I am from originally, and although I daydream about moving elsewhere, that does not seem likely to happen any time soon! There are some wonderful gems here in Jacksonville, however. Such as the Cummer Art Museum, as well as the MOSH (Museum of Science and History). I also enjoy our proximity to St. Augustine!

List of some of my special interests:

• My cats (Steve, Cookie, and Mia)
• “The X-Files”
• Reading (naturally)
• Exploring/Dilly Dallying
• Learning French (as you can see by my title!)

Professional Background

I currently work with the Jacksonville Public Library as a “Customer Experience Associate” in the Youth Department at one of the many branches within the system (21 to be exact). This is my last semester in the MSI program at FSU, and I look forward to graduating in May and becoming a Children’s Librarian with JPL.

Course Expectations

I could tell from our first class meeting that I am going to be developing a lot of new skills throughout this course! I have minimal to no experience with digital media production, and I look forward to expanding my skill set.

Hello to anyone that comes upon this in class! My name is John Gonzalez, and I currently reside in Miami. It’s a beautiful locale with plenty to see and do, and is much more preferable to the winter – so long as you don’t mind a housing crisis. I’m currently working at Florida International University, acting as the Library Manager for the FIU College of Law. This allows me to mix project management with user services, leading a team in ensuring our space is clean, safe for our students, and has all the resources law students need! When I’m not studying or working, I’m usually with family, playing video games, or reading – though lately, I’ve been stepping into the field of Dungeons and Dragons (curse Stranger Things!).

I’m also lucky enough to be in my final semester of the MLIS program here at FSU. I’m particularly excited about this class, as it will allow me to finish my certification requirements in User Services! I consider myself a creative person, but I am really lacking in technical skills; my fine-hand motor skills are probably at the level of a baby’s first meal on their own. So I’m hoping we can utilize tools that will create beautiful work that is original and fun. Looking forward to working with you all!

(prescript: while i know this is a master’s class, my blogging experience is casual a la my tumblr, and lowercase is just enjoyable. i’m staying in that cant for this post, but if it’s too unprofessional, i’ll step outta it)

hello folks! my name is whalen, and i’m pretty fresh on the block in this master’s degree (just turned 20 years old, gosh). i’m still in tallahassee from my bachelor’s in ict there, and i’m just about to start a job at the community college’s nursing library. i want to be a public librarian when i grow up after i graduate, and especially want to be involved with events, outreach, and yes, media.

in my spare time, i’m largely a game developer, ranging from hours-long adventure video games for sale on steam to piddly little physical games that are mostly toying with mechanics. i’m also the vice president of fsu’s video game development club, devlup @ fsu. i like to explore and play around with how people interact with the world, both in my career and out of it. if anyone else here is also interested in board game design, reach out to me, i want to find my people.

a rapid fire list of other descriptors: artist, tea drinker, cuddler, likes premier league soccer but doesn’t yell at it, enjoys a good crossword, reads sci-fi short stories from the mid-century, mildly disabled (maybe a cyst on my spinal cord?), learned a significant portion of higher-level vocabulary from magic: the gathering, low-brow taste in food, astronomy fan, astrology hater, wears blankets when on the computer like an old lady in her rocking chair.