Hey everyone! Margot here with some life updates!

Graduation is Coming Soon!

I can’t believe that graduation is only a few weeks away! Since I graduated from my undergraduate institution in 2021 (aka the COVID-era), I wasn’t able to participate in a traditional graduation ceremony. Instead, my university did everything fully remote, which was a huge bummer. I am so excited to finally be participating in an in-person graduation ceremony! This year, the iSchool’s ceremony is taking place in George Huff Hall, which means that we can bring unlimited guests! My parents and brother are driving in from New York, my fiancé is flying in from Pennsylvania, and my future in-laws are driving down from Chicago to celebrate. I’m so grateful to finally have the opportunity to celebrate not only my graduation from the iSchool, but also the culmination of my six years in higher education.

Job Hunting Comes to an End

After many months of searching, I’m finally able to share that I secured my first post-graduate position! I’ll be working at an R1 university within their library’s technical services unit, working specifically with e-resources. I’m so grateful to have broken into the higher education-library market in my new home, and this position will be such an amazing steppingstone for my career!

Navigating the salary negotiation process was completely new for me. More often than not, women and other minoritized groups receive lower compensation than they truly deserve, so I felt that it was my responsibility to advocate for myself and ask for the compensation that I desired. I’m happy to report that it all worked out in my favor. It was an important lesson to learn: Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want in the negotiation process. Nobody is going to take your offer away – the worst they can say is no. It is such a relief to have my post-graduate employment all figured out; I feel like I can finally take a breath and relax for a minute!

The Weeks Ahead

That being said, my next few weeks are going to be absolutely jam packed with big life events. On April 29th, my dad is coming to town to run the Christie Clinic Illinois Half Marathon with me (well, I say with me, but he is aiming for a finish time that’s quite a few minutes ahead of mine!). I got into running when I moved to Urbana because, as someone who grew up going to the mountains every week for hikes, I was looking for a way to stay fit. This is going to be my first race experience and I couldn’t have found a better place to do it than right here in town. Illinois Race Weekend is a huge deal in Champaign-Urbana, and I’m expecting to have a blast!

Update: We survived! We both hit our goals (and PRs!) and had an amazing time! I highly recommend participating in race weekend, either as a runner or a spectator, next year!

After the race, I’ll be shifting my focus to final projects and graduation. I’m saying goodbye to the Music and Performing Arts Library, where I’ve spent the past two years as a graduate assistant. MPAL has been my home away from home and I’m sad to say goodbye. I’m also leaving this wonderful team of iSchool Ambassadors, who I’ll miss dearly!

After graduation, I have a few days to pack up my stuff and move back east, where I’ll be reuniting (permanently!) with my fiancé after two years of long distance. Then almost immediately it’s back to Chicago for our wedding! We’re getting married in a very intimate ceremony with close family and friends, which is not at all what we expected our wedding day to look like, but we’re excited nonetheless! Then, it’s back to Pennsylvania where I’ll be starting my post-graduate employment.

I’ve loved having the opportunity to share my experiences with you all on this blog, and hopefully this isn’t the last you hear from me 🙂