My professional statement of philosophy is deeply personal.  It is the welding of my life experiences, a rigorous MLIS education, and the core values of the profession forged into a mix that is uniquely my own. 

My life experiences inform the heart of my philosophy.  I am the proud daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants.  My parents came to this country with a middle-school education and the promise of the American Dream.  America loomed large in their Ecuadorian childhood, as this glamorous country of abundance where their dreams of financial stability and limitless hopes could come true.  And to some degree, their dreams did come true.  But it wasn’t for many, many years and after many, many obstacles.  From a young age, I observed up close the challenges they faced.  Learning English, learning the customs and culture of the U.S., and working jobs where they weren’t respected nor treated well. This is the route immigrant experience. However, it’s taking a narrow view to say that acclimating is just a matter of learning the language and the societal niceties.  The broader (and more accurate view) is that it’s also learning how to navigate all the various institutions that make up our society: financial, legal, educational, and government.  All these institutions that comprise our American society. Institutions that are not always welcoming to those who were not born here or are of a darker hue. Observing and trying to help my parents, I instinctually knew from a young age that to have knowledge and formal education is to be empowered. As a child, I didn’t yet have the language to quite express that, but I intuitively knew that a good start was my local public library.  There, in the rows upon rows of books, lay the answer to our education in American ways and in our empowerment.

And so I began my MLIS program with a deep, personal understanding of information inequity and a fiery desire to help others who, like me, at times lived on the fringes of societal institutions. The program at Syracuse University has given me the tools I need to be an effective librarian/social justice advocate.  I now have a grounding not only in the latest information science theory but also in prevailing scholarly thought on social justice and racial issues. This, coupled with a sharpened skill set in research, information evaluation, and collection development, makes me feel that I am ready to join the ranks of public librarians.

I am currently employed as a library assistant in a public library with a large immigrant population.  Many times, a patron has approached me, hesitant, with their body language unsure, as they ask for help in halting English.  It warms my heart to see their response when I respond in Spanish.  They instantly stand up straighter, speak with confidence, and smile. They know I see them.  And I know they see me too.