Six master's students have been named 2026 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. The Spectrum Scholarships were established in 1997, and this year, the program received four times as many applications as there were available scholarships. This year's Spectrum Scholars were selected based on their commitment to community-building, leadership potential, and planned contributions to making social justice part of everybody's everyday work in LIS.
The Spectrum Scholarship recipients at Illinois are:
- Luna Celeste Armas
- Morgan Kaylee Bueza
- Jazzeline Celindro
- Jessica Covington
- Jon Tremaria
- Jordan Wright
"The Spectrum Scholars enrich our community by bringing valuable perspectives to the iSchool," said Maria Bonn, MSLIS program director. "We welcome the opportunity to participate in fostering a new generation of racially and ethnically diverse library professionals."
Each scholar receives $5,000 to assist with educational costs as well as more than $1,500 to attend the Spectrum Leadership Institute held during the ALA Annual Conference. In addition, the iSchool matches this diversity scholarship by providing each recipient with a tuition waiver. Illinois residents receive a grant from the Sylvia Murphy Williams Fund, given by the Illinois Library Association. Other benefits include continuing education and professional development opportunities, peer mentoring, and access to a large alumni network.