intros

Greetings from Leon County!

Aleisha Edenfield here. I am from Jackson County. Tallahassee, however, has been my second home for most of my childhood before becoming my official home as an adult. In fact, my first and fondest memory as a child was walking into the Florida State University’s softball/soccer field complex to watch the 1999 woman’s softball team play ball. My youngest aunt was on this team. I was only 7 years old!

It was only natural to want to follow in my family’s footsteps at that point. While I did not inherit the outstanding softball skills and become a D1 athlete, I found my way back onto the Florida State campus as an undergrad student 14 years later. In 2015, I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Editing, Writing and Media. I left my second home not long after. I took a break from my educational path to work for the State of Florida.

Three years later, I found myself right back in Tallahassee. It relieved me to be back in the city I grew up in most of my life, greeting old friends and new as I delved more into the activities I knew and loved. I joined the Writing in Tallahassee group, who helped me rediscover my love for writing. We meet year round for many writing excursions, including but not limited to the Word of South festival held every April, the Shakespeare in the Park festival held every May, and, the most important event of them all, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a thirty-day novel writing challenge held every November. I also fell back in love with the world of Pokémon, joining fellow trainers in the Tallahassee area for many of the wonderful events, raids, and battles that Pokémon Go offers.

Along with the events and people, I have also appreciated the parks and trails that Tallahassee offers. As someone who grew up in the country, city-life is not always what it’s cracked up to be. When I need to take a break and embrace the surrounding nature, I will often tackle the trails that connect between Tom Brown Park and Lafayette Heritage Trail. Whether it be for biking, a peaceful walk, or trying to collect miles on Pokémon Go, at least once or twice a week, I could be found at one of these two parks, or even at Cascades or McCord if the mood strikes me.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Though the world being in medical turmoil is not something that anyone should celebrate, I have to give thanks all the same. It striking when it did allowed me to pause and reflect on my life and where I stood career-wise, and I realized I was not happy where I was at and wanted to move forward. And thus, in Fall 2020, I walked through the doors of Florida State University once more⁠—the virtual ones, at least⁠—and found myself in pursuit of a Master of Arts in Information. My goal? To become a youth librarian.

I hope that LIS 5313, Digital Media: Concepts and Production, will not only get me one step closer into obtaining my Masters but also provide me with the tools needed to better understand the digital media world and how I can utilize it to better suite the needs of future generations. I look forward to learning all this class offers, and meeting and learning about my classmates along the way. And maybe, with the help of this class, I might find some comfort level in learning how to create, format, and use a blog. Today’s post will be the starting point of a long and educational journey, I am sure!

In the meantime, any of my classmates and professors who are in Tallahassee can definitely keep an eye out for me. Though the pandemic is still going strong, and precautions shall be taken at all costs, it will not prevent me from stepping back onto campus and visiting JoAnne Graf Softball Field once again as I now watch my sister and the 2022 softball team work towards their goal in making it to the Women’s College World Series for the second year in a row. Go Noles!

Hello! I’m Kestrel Ward, and I’m very excited for this class. I am one of those Terminally Online People you read about who has a bajillion personal blogs, all the social media, and lives their lives Online just about. In fact, I haven’t had a WordPress blog in several years since I lost my last domain, but this class and the blogging opportunities finally pushed me over the edge to start another personal blog, this time under my own name and focused mostly on my work in libraries. I work for the University of Florida libraries in Gainesville, specifically the Architecture and Fine Arts Library, where I’m in charge of the evening hours and new books processing. I get boxes of books delivered to my office just about every week, and I didn’t even have to pay for them myself! Of course, they’re only sometimes of personal interest to me, but it still feels like Christmas a lot! (●’◡’●)

So, if you click on the link to my personal blog’s introductory post you’ll get a sense of what I’m like probably, but I’m going to repeat the bit near the end where I give a list of things about me:

So here’s the basics: I’m a white, disabled, neurodivergent, queer, cis woman. Wife, mother, student, librarian*.

OneQueerLibrarian blog post

Above is the most recent picture I have of myself and my son (my husband doesn’t let me take pictures of him). My son is 10 years old, and already an avid little gamer. He is the delight of my life, and I’m very proud of him, naturally. He is my only child, but I do have three furbabies as well: two purebred German Shepherds, mother and daughter, named Holly and Bella, and an orange cat who recently adopted us named Aximili, or Ax for short (my son is hugely into Animorphs right now and named the cat, who lives up to his namesake and eats everything.)

I am currently in my next to last semester of FSU’s MSI program (I’m kinda salty they changed it from MLIS, because that’s the degree I thought I was getting when I applied. I don’t want an MSI. I want an MLIS like all the cool kids have!) I hope to graduate at the end of Summer, and only have one last class to take. My focus has been academic libraries for the most part, but a big sub-focus has been on stories. I’ve really enjoyed all the story-driven classes I’ve taken so far, and hope to find ways to incorporate that into my work in academic libraries, which is where I feel like I belong. I am also a writer in my free time (mostly fanfiction these days, but I do write original fantasy and romance as well), and an avid reader so my interest in stories is natural. I’m also deeply interested in topics of social justice, marginalized stories, and studying the history of marginalized peoples. I hope one day to be a Women and Gender Studies librarian, and am already a member of the Women and Gender Studies Section of ACRL.

My undergraduate degree was in Classics, and my first Master’s degree was in Classics and Ancient History from Durham, UK. My husband and I lived in the UK, in the north near Yorkshire and Newcastle, for a year while I studied, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Some day I’d love to be able to move back there, the pace of life is perfect for me, as is the weather (I die in Florida summers every single year, despite being born here). I’ve always loved living in new and interesting places, partially because until I was 10 my parents traveled and worked the Renaissance Fair circuit. We lived in a school bus and then a travel trailer and traveled all over the country every year to do shows. My father still does that sort of thing, and even after they divorced and my mom got a corporate job we still made time to go and visit people at the local shows or sometimes travel to ones farther away for the weekend. Growing up like that was very formative to the kind of person I am, and when people ask where I’m “from” that’s what I think of. The Rennie community is my Village.

Aside from all that, the other major thing about me is that I’m a huge nerd. Books, games, anime, most nerd stuff I’m into it. I started out as a reading nerd, learning to read very early on in life and devouring every book I could get my hands on as a child. In my teen years I was introduced to anime and manga by friends and I’ve never looked back. Lately I’ve been exploring other East Asian media as well, like Korean dramas and Chinese danmei and the like, but my first love is always for Japanese media. I’ve even spent several years trying to teach myself the language (with middling success) to better understand it. After anime, in my 20’s I met my husband who is a huge gamer, and he introduced me to DnD and World of Warcraft, as well as various console games, and now almost 20 years later we’re introducing our son to both as well! We started new WoW characters this week to play together with him, and later this month we’ll start our first family DnD campaign as a group of intelligent dogs going on a bank heist!

I’m really excited for this class because as I mentioned above, I really love telling stories and digital media. I’m hoping to learn better skills for storytelling and digital production overall, but especially graphic design which I use in my day to day job managing the social media for my library branch. I’m really looking forward to learning more this semester along with all of you, even with the heavy work-load. Good luck to all of us! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Hello there, the name is Brianna Criswell. Though feel free to just call me Bri.

I’m currently an assistant at a public library here in Florida and am presently pursuing my master’s in Information Science at Florida State University. Before I began my library career path my education and experience was mostly in art and digital media.

I attended Ringling College of Art and Design for two years where I was an illustration student, after that I transferred out to complete my associates and then transferred to FGCU to finish my Bachelor’s with their art program. Because of that I also have a lot of time and experience with a lot of digital media programs and techniques. I have also had soem experience applying these skills in the academic field as I spent a length of time as an intern at the Edision Ford Winter Estates!

I’m looking forward to this class to learn a little bit more about digital media design, see how much more effectively I can apply these skills in the information science field. I look forward to getting my hands back into my “First Love ” career field.

Outside of my career, as you can guess from my education that I love art! I have always been into comics, animation, illustration, and even classical art. I’ve been a long time fan of Disney animation though I have fallen in love with many more studios over the years such as Cartoon Saloon and Studio Ghibli.

I have a cat named Loki, a little ball of mischief that me and mother adopted from the nearby humane society! I love him dearly, though he does cause a lot of trouble sometimes…

I look forward to the rest of the semester with you all!

“God has given me cause to laugh, and all who hear of it will laugh with me”

Genesis 21:6

Hello everyone! My name is Elizabeth Gerace, an aspiring librarian and music enthusiast. I am originally from Ocala, FL, and attended the city’s local two-year college, working part time as receptionist for a hydraulic company and going to school for vocal music. After receiving my Associate in Arts, I moved an hour to north and began the next part of my schooling at the University of Florida in Gainesville. I ended up receiving my bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Ethnomusicology, the study of world music and culture, from UF in 2021. Even though my time at the university was marked by COVID, I still made many important friendships and count that time as one of the most important eras of my life. Right before my graduation, I made the decision to cross into enemy territory and apply to FSU for my master’s degree, becoming one of many Gator-Noles (the horror!!)

Currently, I am working in Gainesville as a choir director at St Patrick Interparish School teaching 5^th-8^th grade students how to sing. I love to be able to share my love of music with the younger generations and am learning a lot about what it takes to be a positive influence in a student’s life. I also teach religious education at our local Catholic church and sing for weekend Masses, and often perform with our praise and worship band. Along with reading books and making music, you can usually find me hanging out with my fiancé, Cameron. Cameron is getting his PHD at UF in Biomedical Engineering, with the goal of becoming a professor. We’re getting married this July and are super excited start our brand-new life together

In terms of this class, I am excited to learn how to better make use of media that I already have access to in my personal and school devices. I plan to work in either school, academic, or professional librarian circles with the information I will learn in this class and degree. My dream is to find a way to work as a children’s literature librarian, perhaps taking advantage of my proximity to the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature at UF. I am so grateful to all the professors I have had already who have taught me invaluable lessons this past semester. I’m excited to learn even more in this class and get to know all of you!

Hey everyone! I am Annie Thomas living in Tampa, Florida, and originally from India where I pursued my under graduation in Information Technology. Earning a master’s degree has always been a dream for me and I am so glad and excited to wear the graduation cap, and gown end of this semester.

I am currently working for a Marketing Research Company as a Software Developer with more than 10 years of Industry experience. And I am sure The MSIT degree from Florida State University would not only allow me to chase my dreams but also help in the growth of my career.

Moving to Florida was one of the best decisions of my life, not just because of the sunny and warm weather throughout the year, but the people here are also warm and welcoming.

My area of interest includes dancing, cooking, photography, and spending time with my loving family, who are my pillars of strength always. Another important thing I love doing is worship and spending time in Religious activities. I am lucky to have a wonderful bunch of friends with whom I love visiting sunsets and beach walks. Capturing sunrise and sunset in time-lapse mode is one of my favorite things to do.

Love for photography is what made me choose this course. And I hope by the end of this course I would pro my editing skills!

About Me

Hello I am Keith Bennett and I currently live in Tallahassee Florida. I am originally from North Carolina where I experienced all four seasons every year. I enjoy being closer to the beaches and love warmer weather although Florida’s humidity truly beat you down, especially if your not from here. I currently attend Emerge Church which I have met some really awesome people and do life with. I am a very straight to the point kind of person, probably because I was raised by a military father who expected straight forward answers. Ironically that has helped me when I have to talk to senior leadership in my career. I currently work in IT security for Florida State University (FSU). I currently have a bachelors in business management, and a bachelors in information technology.

I am currently enrolled in the Master of Science Information Technology program and this is my last semester! I have loved the relationships and wonderful people I have met at FSU throughout undergraduate and graduate school. This has been quite the journey for sure, taken classes, working full time, and having a family. After I received my first bachelors degree, never in a million years did I ever think I would pursue a masters. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to be a first generation college graduate and soon to be a graduate of a advanced degree.

Hobbies

I am pretty chill and laid back but I do a few hobbies/activities that I like to do for fun. When I have time I really enjoy scuba diving which I have been a certified diver for some years. I also enjoy bowling and would love to obtain my pilots license one day. Learning to fly is just extremely expensive.

Come one, come all! Witness and be amazed by the many wonders of the world! In this very blog post, accessed only by those very few within this course, is the information needed to better understand just one of the many people you’ll meet in your life’s journey. Here, in this dwelling of words and images, dwells the Cynthia Moving – the “Cyndi”. Featured below is a recent image of Cyndi at the school librarian meeting grounds, serendipitously known as FAME Conference 2021.

Cyndi has been known to enjoy sunsets and sunrises, long walks on the beach, attempting to swim, and jogging. She has recently completed her first 5k. It only took her 45 minutes, so while not the most impressive time, it is still quite a feat! In her down time, she tries to catch up on all of her reading (be it for the job, her students, or herself). She is also a huge fan of the Pokémon franchise. As of December 2021, she has finally completed the Galar Pokédex, one of many childhood dreams come true (even if it isn’t the original one, it still counts)! An important side note: Cyndi is an avid, casual gamer. Pokémon happens to be the franchise that has consumed most of her attention (and possibly her life). She also plays Animal Crossing, Monster Hunter Stories, Skyrim, Tetris, and the Ace Attorney Series.

…Okay, enough posturing! Down to the facts! Cyndi holds an undergrad in English Literature from UCF. She has worked as an English teacher since 2014 until she stumbled hard enough to say, “I need a change!” Her current occupation is as a school media specialist at Osceola Science Charter School. It is her first exposure to the World of School Librarians and Media Specialists, and she sincerely wonders why she didn’t make the switch sooner. Ah, such is life. Cyndi lives in Orlando, FL with her partner in crime and their two-year-old calico cat, Curry.

It may be hoped for all intrepid readers to pass course LIS 5313 with flying colors. After all, digital media is an important and ever-growing aspect within schools. For a budding Media Specialist, it is all the more important for Cyndi to get a better grasp of what digital media is and how the lessons learned here could be applied towards her career. This class is also the last one needed for Cyndi to receive the all-important School Library Leadership certification. From there it might be just one more semester, upgrading from a Temporary to a Professional Educator’s Certificate, and graduation!

In between (and specifically on January 28th) there will be Pokémon.

Latasha. I was born and raised in Tallahassee and it is the only place I have ever lived. Sad I know, lol. I would like to travel and visit all 50 states one day, experiencing what each state has to offer. I would like to do something like diners, dives, and drive-ins because my family and I like to eat. The one place that is on my bucket list is to visit the “world’s first underwater villa.” at the Rangali Island Resort in the Maldives. I am working on my degree in MSIT graduating this spring. I decided to get my Master’s after my mom passed as I told her I would do it, with that GRE being waived, made it easy to finally do it. I worked for the state of Florida for the past 20 years, but with this degree, I will finally look to leave for greener pastures. I love sports, especially the Lakers and video games.

One of the things I am excited about learning in this class is the final project. I am really curious as to what I come up with.

This is a picture of my mom and me. I think I look just like her but my sister begs to differ.