 Hello, my name is Iori Tokanaga. I use they, them and she her pronouns and I'm one of the recipients of the Director's Scholarship for Excellence for Incoming Students at San Jose State University. First and foremost, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Linda Main, Dr. Marianne Harlin, Dr. Mary Bowlin, the Student Awards and Scholarship Committee, and the School of Information Faculty and Staff for awarding me this scholarship. I'm incredibly honored to be receiving this scholarship as it not only assists me financially on my journey through the MLIS program, but it also reassures me that I am taking a step forward in pursuing my academic endeavors and giving back to the community. Prior to the program, I was working on various health-related research projects and art initiatives in the Davis Sacramento community, where I completed my undergraduate and SOZ degree. Since then, I've shifted my focus to working in libraries at both the Palos Verdes Library District and the Harbor City Harbor Gateway Branch Library. While at first glance, my fields of interest may appear to be broad, ranging from health, art and librarianship, I never lost focus on my passion for doing research and providing direct services to folks in the community. I'm certain that the MLIS program at San Jose State University will not only provide me a solid foundation as a librarian, but will also provide me the academic challenges, support and resources that are necessary to prepare me for doctoral studies and library and information science to become a professor. I'm so excited to be starting my graduate school journey with the MLIS program at San Jose State University. Thank you once again for your immense support and I look forward to meeting you all.