I’ve always loved libraries, books, movies, and writing. When I was in sixth grade and started at a new school, two friends and I spent our lunch and recess working in the school library. Mrs. Harper, the librarian, was a huge supporter of my writing and constantly encouraged me. We rotated between checking books in and out, shelving, and reading aloud to classes that visited the library.

I hated reading out loud (one of my friends loved it), so we always swapped roles whenever it was time to read to the kids.

After sixth grade, I went to three more new schools in the next two years before starting high school at Santana. There, I met one of my closest friends, Molly, in Algebra class. We stayed friends throughout high school and beyond.

One day during senior year, while we were in AP Government and Economics, she turned around and told me the Santee Library was hiring another Student Worker — she was already working there — and said I should apply. I did, and in March 2006, I was hired as a Student Worker at the Santee Library.

I worked there for two and a half years, then spent eight months as an Intermittent Worker (basically a substitute Library Technician). After that, I worked as a contractor for San Diego County Library through Backstage Library Works as the RFID Tagger Team Leader for about ten months.

Eventually, I took a job at Costco — but the library never really stopped calling to me.

After about thirteen months at Costco, I jokingly asked a coworker if he had any single Christian friends. He thought of his best friend, Adam, and introduced us at his wife’s birthday party the very next night. When I asked Adam what he did for work, I found out he was a Student Worker for the Facilities Department at San Diego County Library — the same department that moved all the equipment when I was working for Backstage Library Works. We had crossed paths so many times and never even known each other’s names.

When Adam and I started dating, I returned to volunteering with a youth group and also began volunteering again at the Santee Library. From June 2011 to January 2014, I volunteered at my old branch.

In summer 2013, I interviewed for a Library Technician I position but was offered part-time instead of full-time, so I turned it down (but stayed on the interview list). Then in December 2013, I interviewed again — and this time I was offered the full-time position. I officially started as a Library Technician I in January 2014.

My Branch Manager, Amanda, and my supervisor, Jodi, quickly saw how much I loved library work and how well I connected with kids and teens, and they encouraged me to go back to school.

That summer, I was given Bilingual Storytime (even though I’m not bilingual), which forced me to finally face my fear of reading out loud. I had years of tripping over words and being teased about it, so I was terrified I’d mess up and the kids would laugh — or the parents would judge.

My sister gave me the best advice: the kids wouldn’t notice if I kept reading, and the parents were just happy someone was entertaining their children for thirty minutes.

She was absolutely right.

I also started running social media for my library branch and received a Library All-Star award in April 2015. In June 2015, I temporarily promoted to Library Technician II — and by October, it became permanent.

In December 2015, I designed my own storytime program, Preschool Play, and started running it in January 2016.

In September 2016, I promoted again to Library Technician III and became the Assistant Branch Manager at a new library — starting an entirely new chapter.

One of the highlights was being part of opening a brand-new library building in April 2017. Our building won five awards, including Best Reading Space and People’s Choice. During that time, I leaned even more into Youth Services — training staff, leading weekly toddler and preschool storytimes, creating Star Wars programs across multiple branches, running a six-week Teen Writing Workshop series, and hosting several writing workshops for adults.

I loved being able to combine my librarian work with my love for writing to inspire others.
(And yes — I absolutely loved dressing up for programs.)

In May 2018, I promoted to Youth Services Librarian I, and in June 2021, to Youth Services Manager Librarian II.

Due to a workers’ comp injury, I’ve been teleworking since July 2020, which allowed me to shift into more behind-the-scenes work supporting multiple branches and departments.

​Now I work as a Librarian II in the Learning, Marketing, and Engagement Department, fully remote — with some flexibility for in-person outreach events and headquarters work. While I’m no longer in a branch, I’m still deeply connected to the library world I love.