My UCM extracurricular experiences

I spent time this weekend applying for scholarships through the University of Central Missouri. Filling out the application offered me a chance to reflect on my experiences as a UCM graduate student.

First and foremost, I’ve been involved with SOLIS, which stands for Student Organization of Library and Information Services. SOLIS is the student group for UCM’s Library and Information Science program. I serve as SOLIS’s Social Media Coordinator and I also coordinate a virtual SOLIS Book Club that reads and discusses one book each semester.

One exciting highlight of my academic journey was the chance to co-present with Professor Amanda Harrison at Library Research Seminar 8, which took place from Sept. 16 to 18, 2024 in Lexington, Kentucky. Our presentation concerned the ways that autistic characters were depicted in books on children’s “reader’s choice” award lists from 2014 to 2024. After our presentation, I submitted a video recap about my experience for UCM’s Scholars Symposium on April 3, 2025.

I also had the chance to co-author an article with Professor Harrison, Representing the Spectrum, Autism in the United States Children’s Choice Book Award Nominees, 2014-2024. The article appeared in Vol. 11 (2025) of the Journal of Radical Librarianship.

Since September 2025, I’ve served as a member of UCM’s SPARK Student Advisory Board. SPARK stands for Sexual Positivity and Reproductive Knowledge. As an advisory board member, I evaluate educational and promotional documents to help ensure that they are “effective, respectful, and student-centered.”

And in November 2025, I accepted an invitation to join the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi via UCM Chapter 135. In Spring 2026, I assisted as a reader for an online induction ceremony for the UCM chapter.