Miranda receives inaugural Balz Scholarship

Callan Miranda

After a few years in the workplace, it took a "leap of faith" for Callan Miranda to decide to return to school for an MS/LIS degree. A full-time employee at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, Miranda is happy with her choice to enroll in the iSchool's Leep (online) program and thankful to be the inaugural recipient of the Nancy and Dan Balz Scholarship. Nancy (BA LAS '70, MS/LIS '72) and her husband Dan (BS Media '68, MS Media '72) established the scholarship to help make education more affordable for returning students like Miranda.

"I am extremely touched to be the first recipient for this scholarship, and I hope the future recipients realize the tremendous opportunity presented by Nancy and Dan Balz," said Miranda. "In my technical service class last semester, the professor stressed that students would not fully comprehend the material unless they participated in the final, which was only required for four-credit hour students. Thanks to my scholarship, I was able to increase my enrollment credit hours and participate in the final. Now only a couple of weeks into the Spring 2022 term, I already notice the difference that completing the final has made in my technical service classes. Without the Balz Scholarship, I would have missed out on valuable tools and skills."

Miranda discovered an interest in special collections and archives while earning her BA in English and a certificate in publishing from the University of Iowa. As the type of student who learns best in a classroom setting, she was initially unsure about enrolling in an online master's program. However, her concerns were quickly dispelled in her first semester at the iSchool.

"I can easily say the iSchool fosters a tremendous sense of community and engagement, and I feel more connected to my peers and the program than I did during my in-person undergrad experience," she said. "I also appreciate the variety of professors and lecturers that are an active part of the School, and I am grateful to learn from some of the most brilliant contributors in the field in the country."

In addition to her interest in special collections and archives, Miranda is interested in metadata; specifically, the intersection of metadata and digital archives. After she earns her MS/LIS, she would like to continue working in museums, maintaining digital archives.

"I hope to further the longevity of these resources so future generations can continue learning and developing their own education by studying items from the past," said Miranda.

Thank you to our alumni and friends who contribute to iSchool funds that support our students.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

iSchool instructors ranked as excellent

Fifty-six iSchool instructors were named in the University's List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent for Fall 2024 and Winter 2024-2025. The rankings are released every semester, and results are based on the ratings from the Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) questionnaire forms maintained by Measurement and Evaluation in the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. 

iSchool Building

Scholarship alleviates financial burden for returning student

During her time as an active-duty Naval Officer, Anna Hartman realized that she had a passion for helping others and building community. That passion, combined with a lifelong love of reading, led her to pursue an MSLIS degree at the University of Illinois. Hartman is receiving support for her studies through the Balz Endowment Fund, which was established by Nancy (BA LAS '70, MSLIS '72) and Dan (BS Media '68, MS Media '72) Balz to help make education more affordable for returning students.

Anna Hartman

Get to know Wendy Edwards, senior software engineer

Outside of her work as senior software engineer, Wendy Edwards (MSLIS '09) is active in the areas of security and data science through her involvement in Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS); SANS Institute's Women's Cyber Academy; and NASA's Datanauts program and Space Apps Challenge hackathon. Edwards was a two-time champion in the Target Cyber Defense Challenge, earning scholarships to attend the WiCyS annual conference. In addition to her MSLIS, she holds an MS in computer science from the University of Illinois Springfield.

Wendy Edwards

Ochs and Fiedler featured in "Can’t Shelve This" podcast

School Librarian Licensure Coordinator Lauren Ochs and recent graduate Hannah Fiedler (MSLIS '24) are featured in episode six of "Can’t Shelve This," a podcast produced by Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) in collaboration with Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS). 

Lauren Ochs

Faculty receive support for AI-related projects from new pilot program

Associate Professor Yun Huang, Assistant Professor Jiaqi Ma, and Assistant Professor Haohan Wang have received computing resources from the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), a two-year pilot program led by the National Science Foundation in partnership with other federal agencies and nongovernmental partners. The goal of the pilot is to support AI-related research with particular emphasis on societal challenges. Last month, awardees presented their research at the NAIRR Pilot Annual Meeting.