MSLIS student Andrea Serna has been selected to participate in the 2023-2025 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Kaleidoscope Diversity Scholars Program. With the goal of attracting MSLIS 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.
Serna is a first-generation student who received her BA in history with minors in Spanish and sociology at DePaul University, where she discovered her passion for oral histories and the agency they provide historically marginalized communities to share their lived experiences. For her senior capstone, she researched the Bracero Program and Mexican laborer experiences in the U.S. during WWII using oral histories. During her time at DePaul, she worked with Muslim American oral histories at the Chicago History Museum and conducted her own oral histories on COVID-19's impact on the DePaul community for the university's Special Collections and Archives.
After earning her master's degree, Serna would like to pursue a career in academic librarianship, as a student success librarian or in a reference and instruction position that incorporates outreach and engagement. Serna is also a 2023-2024 American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Scholar.