Top row, L–R: Izzy Alexander, Adam Cummings, Elliott Fesler, Brandon Goggins. Bottom row, L–R: Laura Harmon, Vickie Jennings, Abigael Johnson, Anastacia Managan.
The University of Tennessee will host spring commencement ceremonies May 15-17. UT Libraries takes this opportunity to recognize graduating library student assistants and to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments.
Izzy Alexander. Izzy Alexander is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a double major in German. She worked for three years in the Libraries’ department of Community Learning and Engagement. Izzy significantly contributed to the planning of multiple Big Orange STEM Saturday conferences, notably securing Camille Bergin, also known as @theGalacticGal, for two consecutive years to inspire high school students. She also played a key role in obtaining a collaborative grant for the Great Expectations in Healthcare nursing conference to introduce K-12 students to the medical field. Izzy was named a Torchbearer for the class of 2025. The Torchbearer award, UT’s highest undergraduate student honor, recognizes those students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership. Following graduation, Izzy will continue her academic journey at UT, pursuing a master’s in English.
Adam Cummings. Adam Cummings, a graduate student library assistant in Acquisitions and Continuing Resources, will receive his Master of Science in Information Sciences. His favorite parts of his job were seeing the connections between the various library departments and completing a year-long project on government documents. He is currently seeking employment in library technical services.
Elliott Fesler.Elliott Fesler, a student assistant in Library Express/Collection Logistics, will receive his bachelor’s in Middle East studies then enter UT’s PhD program in political science. Elliott says, “I have enjoyed being around books and having a laid-back work atmosphere that has never stressed me out. It actually does the opposite, and that is exceedingly rare to find in a workspace. Without a doubt, working at the library has been one of my favorite parts of undergrad.”
Brandon Goggins. Brandon Goggins will receive a Master of Science in Communication and Information with a concentration in journalism and media. Brandon has been a graduate student library assistant in the Marketing and Communications department, working primarily on the Libraries’ social media. “After graduation, I plan to land an entry-level role in sports communication/media, whether that be in broadcast production or social media,” he says. “What I’ve enjoyed most about working here is the opportunity to work in something outside of my comfort zone. I am used to covering sports-related content on most platforms, so taking this role was something different for me.…UT has given me so many incredible opportunities, and I’m grateful to add this experience to that list.”
Laura Harmon. Laura Harmon will graduate with a master’s in information sciences. Throughout her degree program, she was a student assistant in Special Collections, where she worked with the Beauford Delaney Papers, the Alex Haley Papers, and the Modern Political Archives. Laura says, “The thing I have enjoyed the most about working at the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives is the ability to apply learned experience to meaningful work for the first time.…Helping to make collections accessible with deep historical and emotional weight to them has been a powerful experience and has shown me what work in a position like this can do for the broader information community. I hope to use the experience I’ve garnered here to find future work in an archival space, especially in a similar academic library environment if possible.”
Vickie Jennings. Vickie Jennings will receive her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a marketing major and a collateral in digital and visual marketing. Vickie worked in the Cataloging unit as a student library assistant, where she says she’s met some of the kindest, most welcoming people. “Working in Cataloging has been such a grounding part of my college experience,” she says. “I’ve learned so much about the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the library running, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed getting to know everyone here. Following graduation, I plan to move to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I’ll be pursuing a career in digital marketing — hopefully bringing the same sense of community and collaboration I’ve experienced here into whatever team I join next.”
Abigael Johnson. Abigael Johnson graduates this semester with a bachelor’s degree in finance, a collateral in supply chain management, and a minor in economics from the Haslam College of Business. Abi has worked as a student library assistant at the reference desk in Special Collections for nearly two years. Here’s what the people in Special Collections have to say: “Abi is a ray of brightness in the workplace, always bringing a cheerful positive attitude.” And: “Abi has been a consistent, helpful, cheery, and overall wonderful student library assistant with our department!” Abi has been accepted into Haslam’s master’s program in economics.
Anastacia Managan. Anastacia Managan, an assistant in Special Collections and in the Preservation Lab, will graduate this summer with a bachelor of arts in history. She will travel to Europe with the Normandy Scholars Program to study the memory of the Holocaust. She will then solo-travel for a month before returning to Knoxville to volunteer in the archives. After a year or two, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in library and archival science. Anastacia attributes her confidence in her career journey to the kind people she met at Hodges Library. She says she “loved holding and preserving Tennessee history and making it accessible to researchers and students.”
Top row, L–R: Faith Nevarez, Nina Richard, Evan Shannon, Sarah Silva. Bottom row, L–R: Brooke Talley, Jenniffer Vespa, Isabel Watson.
Faith Nevarez. Faith Nevarez, a student library assistant in the George F. Devine Music Library, will graduate as a double major with a bachelor’s in music business administration with a concentration in voice performance. Regarding her plans after graduation, she says: “I will be working with different companies in opera and musical theatre being a stage manager and eventually becoming an artistic administrator.” What Faith has enjoyed about working for the Libraries: “I love my staff so much, but I have loved getting to greet all different kinds of people at the front desk and working on acquisition projects. It has been a joy helping grow this resource and build our library collection to become larger with a unique repertoire.”
Nina Richard. Nina Richard, a graduate teaching assistant in the Libraries’ Teaching and Learning Programs, will receive a Master of Science in Information Sciences. Nina says, “I have absolutely loved working with Teaching and Learning Programs here at the UT Libraries. I have gained so much practical knowledge about academic libraries and how I can better serve my own workplace in the future. My team has been more than wonderful in their guidance and generosity as I have explored librarianship and what that means to me. I can’t wait to take the skills I’ve learned and use them to my best advantage. Thank you, TLP, for everything!”
Evan Shannon. Evan Shannon, a student assistant at Pendergrass Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Library will receive bachelor’s degrees in classics and religious studies. He plans to take a gap year to work before pursuing a master’s in library and information science. Evan says, “I love the staff and students at Pendergrass, and I especially love working in a branch library and getting to be a part of all of the library’s operations. My absolute favorite thing has been resource sharing and digitization; I love seeing where the articles are going and being part of a larger network of information sharing.”
Sarah Silva. Sarah Silva, a digital initiatives specialist with UT Press, graduates this semester with a Master of Science in Information Sciences with a Research Data Management Certificate. Sarah started working at UT Press in January, where she manages publisher metadata. Following graduation, she will stay on with the Press, which blends her background in publishing with her studies in information science.
Brooke Talley. Brooke Talley is completing a Master of Science in Information Sciences with a Research Data Management Certificate. During her time at UT, she has served as a graduate research assistant in the Assessment Programs and Collection Strategy department at Hodges Library and as a graduate student library assistant at Pendergrass Library. Following graduation, she plans to relocate to Montana, where she hopes to begin her career in academic librarianship. Reflecting on her time with UT Libraries, she shares: “Working with UT Libraries has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities that I have been given, as well as for the supportive, passionate people I’ve had the chance to learn from.”
Jenniffer Vespa. Jenniffer Vespa, a student assistant in UT Libraries’ Marketing and Communications department, is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Studies and a minor in graphic design. After graduating, she plans to pursue post-production, production design, and animation job opportunities. She says that making reels for the Libraries has been rewarding and fun work. She is grateful for all the people she met and the overall positive experience the library has given her.
Isabel Watson. Isabel Watson has served as a student library assistant for two departments: Administration and Human Resources and the Business Services Office. This spring, she will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in supply chain management with a minor in English. After graduation, she will begin an internship at the Y-12 National Security Complex, working in the Supply Chain Management Organization. Her favorite part about working in the library has been the friendships she has formed with the library employees.
