 Hello, I'm Sophia LaMonica, I'm a Masters of Library and Information Science student at the School of Information and one of this year's recipients of a special session scholarship award for continuing students. I'm very grateful to Dr. Hirsch, Dr. Stenstrom, the Student Awards and Scholarships Committee and each of the exceptional instructors at the iSchool for this scholarship. It's the first I've ever applied for. By concentrating my efforts on my MLIS degree and following the archival studies and records management pathway, I'm gaining marketable skills and building a foundation that will make me a transformative librarian and an asset to the information profession. As an advocate for diversity and equity in my role as an information professional, I've recently joined the Los Angeles chapter of Reforma and intend to become actively involved in supporting its mission of promoting library and information services to Latinos and Spanish speaking people at the local and global levels. This fall I will complete an internship with the Open Access Digital Theological Library at Claremont University, for which I plan to curate a collection of Spanish language titles. I was thrilled to learn of my selection for this scholarship and I'm deeply appreciative of the honor. Thank you very much.