Eight iSchool master's students have been named 2025-2026 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. Since 1997, the Spectrum Scholarship Program has assisted over 1,600 graduate-level students pursuing degrees in library and information studies through ALA-accredited programs. This year's scholars were selected based on their commitment to community building, leadership potential, and planned contributions to making social justice as part of everyday work in LIS. The highly competitive scholarship program received four times as many applications as there were available scholarships.
The Spectrum Scholarship recipients at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are:
- ange gabriel garaygay baldado
- Vanessa "Iridian" Garcia
- Mariana Guerrero
- Jaclyn Hernandez
- Ysanne-Georgette Raye Johnson
- Eunjoo Kim
- Zeel Parikh
- Nathaniel Allen Torres Pila
Each scholar receives $5,000 to assist with educational costs as well as professional development opportunities at the Spectrum Leadership Institute and ALA Annual Conference (and throughout their scholarship year), which are valued at over $1,500. In addition, the scholars will receive support from the iSchool and a grant from the Sylvia Murphy Williams Fund, given by the Illinois Library Association.
"The MSLIS program in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois is delighted to welcome a new cohort of Spectrum Scholars," said Maria Bonn, associate professor and director of the MSLIS and CAS programs. "The presence of the scholars adds an exciting variety of perspectives to our School, and we are eager to help prepare these emerging professionals to work in the world of libraries and information."