School of Information Sciences

Malik and Michael selected for ARL Kaleidoscope Program

Master's students Amina Malik and Inbar Michael have been selected to participate in the 2022-2024 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Kaleidoscope Diversity Scholars Program. With the goal of attracting MS/LIS students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to careers in research libraries and archives, the Kaleidoscope Program offers financial support to scholars as well as leadership development through the ARL Annual Leadership Symposium, a formal mentoring program, career placement assistance, and a site visit to an ARL member library.
 

Amina Malik
Amina Malik

Malik earned her BA in history from the University of Illinois, with a focus on public history and museum sciences. She has worked in various special collections roles, including the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections and the Champaign County History Museum. This fall, she will be working with the University Library’s Research Data Service to provide data-preservation and publication services to the Illinois research community. After graduation, Malik would like to work as an archivist for a cultural heritage institution, where she can participate in the appraisal of histories of marginalized peoples through community archival work.

Inbar Michael
Inbar Michael

Michael received a BA in history, with a minor in humanities and law, from the University of California, Irvine. As an undergraduate, she published two papers through Johns Hopkins' Macksey Journal, one focused on American Jewish solidarity in the 1970s-1990s in support of Soviet Jews, and the other focused on the impact of U.S. imperialism on the Mexican oil industry in the early 1900s. Following graduation, Michael took a gap year through the AmeriCorps City Year program, where she realized her passion for education and information literacy. She is interested in studying the preservation of marginalized histories in local communities as well as how libraries can be utilized as centers that promote diversity and inclusion, particularly when it comes to intersectionality within the LGBTQIA+ community. Michael is also a 2022-2023 Spectrum Scholar.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Reynolds prepares for a career in global tech

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, BSIS student Devon Reynolds always saw his future in technology. He discovered the information sciences program during his senior year of high school and was drawn to its balance of challenging coursework. Choosing the iSchool at Illinois felt like a natural next step. 

Devon Reynolds

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Mariana Guerrero

Eight iSchool master's students have been named 2025–2026 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association. This "Spectrum Scholar Spotlight" series highlights the School's scholars. MSLIS student Mariana Guerrero earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish language and literature from Rockford University.

Mariana Guerrero

PhD student Fobazi Ettarh passes away

PhD student Fobazi Ettarh passed away on January 28, 2026. Ettarh entered the doctoral program at the University of Illinois in 2022. She held an MLIS from Rutgers University and bachelor's degree in English and sociology from the University of Delaware. Prior to joining the iSchool, Ettarh served as an academic librarian at Temple University Libraries; California State University, Dominguez Hills; and Rutgers University. She was also a school library media specialist at Hawthorne (NJ) Public Schools.

Fobazi Ettarh

iSchool International: Studying abroad in Japan

BSIS+DS student and undergraduate ambassador Alex Soja discusses his meaningful experience studying abroad in Japan, where he got the opportunity to live independently in Tokyo and gain a more global perspective.

Alex Soja 2026

Raji selected for IAPP Westin Scholar Award

PhD student Mubarak Raji has been selected as an IAPP Westin Scholar Award honoree for the 2025-2026 academic year. The annual awards were created by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection. Honorees receive a $1,000 cash award; two years of membership with the IAPP; three complimentary exams for IAPP certifications (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT); and unlimited access to online training for the recipient's selected IAPP certification exams.

Mubarak Raji headshot

School of Information Sciences

501 E. Daniel St.

MC-493

Champaign, IL

61820-6211

Voice: (217) 333-3280

Fax: (217) 244-3302

Email: ischool@illinois.edu

Back to top