Today we continue our introduction to the participants of the Creative Digital Publications program. This summer, we have a total of 60 schools represented, with no more than two students from any school. Approximately half of our students are undergraduates and one-third of our students are pursuing (or have received) a master’s degree in library and information science (M.L.I.S.). We also have four participants in law school pursuing a J.D. and three participants pursuing a Ph.D.
We are thrilled to welcome back Megan Tran as a mentor this year, after serving as an intern last year. She is the author of an upcoming blog post and a Texas native. As an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin (UT), she is studying plan II honors, English, and sociology, and served as last year’s editor-in-chief of UT’s student newspaper, The Daily Texan. In addition to her work with the Law Library of Congress this summer, she is interning with the National Parks Conservation Association. In her free time, Megan enjoys reading and spending time with friends.
Sydney Crowley is a Massachusetts native who currently lives in Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, where she is an undergraduate senior double majoring in international relations and non-governmental organizations and social change with a minor in the Russian language. As a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Genocide Research at the USC Shoah Foundation, she is currently researching Sinti and Romani Holocaust survivors’ religious identification. Additionally, Sydney serves as an English language instructor for Ukrainian adults and as an administrative assistant at the USC Center for Languages and Cultures. In her free time, she enjoys learning new languages, watching documentaries, playing tennis, and traveling.
Evelyn deVos is an Arizona resident but is currently working towards her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She is majoring in psychology while working in the lab of a professor in the department investigating the psychology of statistics. After Wellesley, Evelyn intends on attending a joint J.D./Ph.D. program to deepen her understanding of her two passions: law and psychology. She spends a lot of time playing with her dog, hanging out in local coffee shops, and doing fiber crafts.
Amy Frinell is from Lake Oswego, Oregon. She has a profound love of traveling and an appreciation of the Pacific Northwest. Amy is pursuing a B.S. in criminal justice studies and a minor in business administration from the University of Arizona Honors College, with aspirations to attend law school in the near future. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, giving campus tours, swimming, boating, and volunteering at the school’s food pantry. Amy is especially interested in criminal law and environmental law.
Ryan Gale was born and raised in Texas and is currently pursuing a B.A. in philosophy and theology as well as a certificate in pastoral ministry at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He enjoys working in the Center for Academic Success as a tutor and is looking forward to pursuing a career in law. He likes to spend his free time reading, whittling, and playing board games with his family.
Madeline Griffin is currently a master of Latin American studies student at the University of New Mexico and a junior fellow working on the Cine Latine Project with the Library of Congress this summer. She holds an NCHC honors degree and B.A. from the liberal arts institution Emory & Henry College, where she majored in international studies, history, and Hispanic studies. She spent the 2021-2022 academic year teaching as an English language auxiliary in the Basque Country, worked in museums, and served as the lead E&H global ambassador. She is a proud plant parent and loves traveling, and hiking, and hopes to continue creating resources and projects that extend interdisciplinary thought and academic resources to the greater public.
Zhanna Griffin-Bell is from central Florida. She has a B.A. in English and international studies from Mississippi College and is currently an M.L.I.S. student at Valdosta State University. She currently works in the circulation department of a public library and is interested in digitization and preservation.
Melina Kazanas is a rising fourth-year undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University, majoring in European studies and economics with a minor in Spanish. Her studies focus on the intersectionality of literature and migration, and she hopes to pursue a career that incorporates such topics. Melina’s other interests include Latin American literature, hiking, and cooking with her family.
Tara Lee is an undergraduate student in her senior year at the University of Texas at San Antonio, majoring in politics and law with a minor in history. Her top three most captivating historical figures are, in no order of importance: Empress Wu Zetian, China’s first and last woman emperor; Sylvia Rivera, activist for gay liberation and transgender rights; and Britney Spears, Grammy award-winning singer.
Tommy Lim lives in Austin but has previously resided in California and Connecticut. They hold a B.A. in linguistics and a B.A. in religious studies, with a disciplinary focus on Christian traditions. Currently, they are in a dual graduate program to acquire an M.A. in women and gender studies and an M.S. in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to their goal to gain experiences in archival and library contexts, Tommy has research interests in how metadata and infrastructure appear in gendered spiritual practices. Tommy enjoys trying out new coffee shops and reading tarot cards in their spare time.
Emely Mabel Melling, a native of La Ceiba, Honduras, Central America, obtained her LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University. She earned a master of electoral law degree from the University of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Emely received her law degree (LL.B., a bachelor of laws) cum laude, at the Central American Technological University (UNITEC), Honduras, and is licensed to practice by the Honduras Bar Association. Emely ran and was elected city councilwoman of her hometown, La Ceiba, Honduras. She served in political office for a four-year term. In the United States, Emely has worked as a law clerk in several internships, including municipal and local government law and international religious freedom. Currently, Emely is starting her Juris Doctorate and M.L.I.S. in law librarianship degrees. Emely enjoys classical ballet, coloring, and mindfulness. She is married to Christopher Melling – the two met during Emely’s studies at the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
Julia Zamarripa is currently pursuing an M.L.S. from Texas Woman’s University. She holds a B.B.A. in finance from Texas State University. She is an avid reader. Julia also enjoys going on runs and hikes with her dog.
We are so grateful to Nikki Werner again this year, for her second time as a mentor! Nikki is the author of the National Bison Day post from her time as an intern in the summer of 2021. She is a born and raised Marylander and holds an M.L.I.S. and a B.A. in English language and literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. Nikki is currently doing independent research in fan studies. She loves dystopian fiction, road trips, movies, museums, and cooking. Nikki and her husband have two children, a ball python, and an ungrateful cat.
Hasna AlSaud was born and raised in Saudi Arabia but has lived in Washington D.C for four years now pursuing a bachelor’s degree from American University. Hasna has loved traveling from a very young age and is passionate about reading, writing, and all of the arts. She enjoys painting and drawing and is very ambitious when it comes to pursuing those activities through being self-taught.
Read Brown currently lives in Richmond, Virginia, and will be attending George Washington Law School in the fall. He completed his master’s of computer science at Johns Hopkins in spring 2023 and holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from NYU. His research interests fall at the intersection between law and technology, such as studying the history of cybercrime. In his free time, Read enjoys rock climbing and cooking.
Joshua Chang currently resides in Maryland, but he has spent most of his life in the Midwest. He holds a B.S. in economics from Butler University and will be pursuing a J.D. at Wake Forest Law. When he has spare time, he can often be found reading, playing chess, or running.
Lashandra Dover-Harris is a long-time North Carolina resident and is in the final semester of her M.L.I.S degree at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She has a B.S. in psychology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a master’s in business administration from Montreat College, and currently works in the financial industry in change delivery. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, travel, and photography.
Henry Gertmenian is currently pursuing degrees in political science and geography at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Born and raised in Kirkland, Washington, Henry participated in Model United Nations and Junior State of America programs as well as playing tennis and soccer. Currently, Henry is interning with a non-partisan research organization and runs a college basketball blog in his free time.
Tommy Jackson is a third-year student at the University of Missouri-Columbia majoring in constitutional democracy, history, and economics, with minors in political science, philosophy, and East Asian studies. He is the founder and president of the Kinder Institute Undergraduate Society, a university-wide organization dedicated to connecting Kinder students to other Kinder students, to peers at Mizzou and other universities, and to the local Columbia community through the “Applied Constitutional Democracy” program. He is also the founder and chair of the Mid-Missouri Undergraduate Conference on Democracy Studies. Tommy serves as a resident advisor-peer learning assistant for the Kinder Institute Democracy Lab FIG and is heavily involved in the Missouri Debate Union, Mizzou Model UN, and the Omicron Delta Epsilon international economics honors society. Tommy is a huge Star Wars fan, loves going on walks, and is a big fan of golden retrievers.
Bela Kellogg is currently pursuing a B.A. in English and history of art from the University of Michigan. In addition to becoming a member of her local historical society’s preservation committee three years ago, Bela is a coxswain for the Michigan men’s rowing team and works for The Michigan Daily as a copy editor and a daily arts writer.
Aaron Lombard is a recent graduate from Appalachian State University in North Carolina with a degree in history with a concentration in education. Aaron is currently obtaining his M.L.I.S. degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His hobbies include playing piano, guitar, singing, and playing video games. He also has an Australian shepherd named Maggie, who he loves very much.
Judith Maas is a New Jersey native and graduate of Rutgers University and Boston College, where she studied American history and literature. She has recently moved from Boston to the Washington, D.C. area. Her work experience has been in the publishing (writing and editing) and library fields. Her writing projects have included book reviews, feature articles, and teaching materials; her editorial experience was primarily in the area of business, at journals and magazines. In the library field, her second career, she has been a generalist, handling reference, interlibrary loans, acquisitions, serials, and cataloging responsibilities. She has also tutored adult students in English composition, business writing, and English as a second language. Her interests include travel, piano, tennis, and studying languages.
Emily Alesia Poteat is a North Carolina native who holds a B.A. in history from Elon University and an M.A. focused on public history from Villanova University. This fall she will begin an M.S.L.I.S. program at Simmons University and focus on archives management. Emily is particularly interested in rare books and manuscripts, and her historical research delves into questions of identity and intellectual history of the early-to-mid twentieth century. Emily enjoys painting with gouache, searching for seashells, and finding new museums and historical sites to visit.
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