 Hi, I'm Yolanda Sherman and I'm a newly enrolled student at San Jose State University. I am so fortunate to have been chosen as a recipient of the Special Scholarship for new students and I'd love to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Bolin, Dr. Harlin, Dr. Chow, the faculty of the School of Information, the Student Awards and Scholarships Committee, and everyone involved in the decision-making process for choosing me as one of the recipients. I am so grateful for being chosen for this scholarship. Going back to school after many years is a huge decision for my family. Finances are a major consideration. In fact, without this scholarship I most likely would not have been able to return to get my Masters in Library Science. Becoming a librarian has been a dream of mine for many years, but I followed a different career path that was a better fit for my family. That dream never died though, and now I find myself revisiting that old dream, wanting to make it come true. I realized if I didn't chase my dream now, when would I? I jumped in with both feet and I applied and was accepted into San Jose State. I was so excited, but then the fear set in, how was I going to pay for it? This scholarship came just in time. What this scholarship means to me is a chance to chase after my dreams without crippling debt, and I am so excited to start my graduate studies. I have been working in education for many years now in many capacities, from a bilingual aid, a library media assistant, a teacher, and am currently a director of an after-school program. So I think I can safely say that I love and believe in education. Working with children has been wonderful, and now I'd love to become a youth librarian in a public library. However, I don't want to limit myself and am keeping an open mind about what new interests I might discover as I complete my graduate studies. One of the things I am most excited about is discovering what a master's in library science has to offer. This scholarship went open doors for me that I thought were closed. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity to pursue my dreams.