I began my Master of Library and Information Science program in the Spring of 2018 at San Jose State University. Many twists and turns in life eventually put me on this path -- a path I never thought I would take and now that I am at the end of the program, I am thankful for ending up where I am right now. In 2015, I was hired to be a CYA librarian assistant at a local public library, never expecting nor intending to further my education. It was through the support of my supervisor and director that I began to consider it. I took a leap of faith in 2017, and explored different programs available, and a few months later I was logging into INFO 203, ready to take on this new chapter in my life.   

Currently, I am a full-time CYA Library Associate at the same library. My responsibilities mainly involve the development and maintenance of the YA department with several duties in the children’s department. I absolutely love my job and enjoy creating programs that resonate with the teen community. Throughout my program at SJSU, I wanted to take courses that aided in improving my management skills, and it has definitely helped me become confident over the years. While there were many challenges when trying to balance school and work life, I found that it often synchronized well. I could apply work experience to think critically in assignments and apply management practices at work. I very much look forward to becoming a full-fledged librarian in the new year. 

I prepared for the ePortfolio in small increments. Each semester I made sure to save all of the work I had done to my external hard drive as well as Google Drive. Any group work I collaborated on, such as Power Points, I made sure to save a copy for my own files. Any video presentations were recorded and saved to be used as evidence as well. When the time came to actually start assembling the portfolio, I created a lengthy word document connecting assignments to competencies. I had considered creating my portfolio on WordPress but ultimately decided to utilize Canvas for its simplicity.

Each competency in my ePortfolio is arranged in the following format: 

• Statement of Competency which explains what the competency means
• Justification of evidence I have provided and how it relates to the competency
• References used in the Statement of Competency
• Evidence access which contain files or links for viewing

I understood the weight of this semester-long project but because I was balancing two other classes this semester, I took the first month and a half to complete all coursework of other classes before starting the ePortfolio. It was an insane crunch, but I was able to put in the effort to complete assignments that I was proud of. The ePortfolio had my complete focus afterwards. I decided to write the competencies in alphabetical order just because it was easier to track my progress. 

This ePortfolio is an overview of my time in this program. Finishing this portfolio and program will be the biggest accomplishment of my life. I hope you enjoy this showcase of all the knowledge gained during my time at SJSU.