Category: Team Awesome Alums

Help Desk Newsletter – May

Welcome to our iSchool Help Desk monthly newsletter!! We use this to share updates about what we’ve been up to. Whether you’re a current student, faculty, or staff; or maybe even an alumni or friend of the iSchool Help Desk and want to keep in-the-know about us, we’re glad to have you! You can expect updates about the major initiatives and projects we are working on, pictures and updates from our fun social events, and anything else up and coming at the iSchool Help Desk!

Accessibility Advocate Shoutouts

We have been helping support the iSchool as they work towards more accessible class materials to meet changing federal standards. We would like to celebrate those who have been stepping up to become Accessibility Advocates at the iSchool – whether they have been educating others about accessibility for years, or they’ve recently made the commitment to jump in and try their best, we think it’s important to recognize the effort and amazing impact that we can make as an iSchool community if we all do our part!

In March, we began spotlighting some of these advocates on a monthly basis. This is a great chance to recognize and uplift these efforts, to encourage one another as a community to keep striving, and to help students get to know our instructors a little better! Please check out our shoutout from May, professor Melissa Wong! Feel free to email us at ischool-support@illinois.edu to nominate any instructors and let us know their impact!

Check out the blog post here!

Black background with a spotlight, and a headshot of Melissa Wong in the center. It says “Melissa Wong” at the top and “May ’25” at the bottom.

Exciting Life Updates 

We are excited to announce that our newly-graduated GA Wanheng has accepted a job as the Asian Studies Librarian at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She is excited to work just a couple of doors down from our other former help-desker Audrey. We know she will be an amazing addition to their team!

Our other recently-graduated GA Delia, who is still around at the Help Desk for part of the summer, has recently finished a wonderful project for the city of Bloomington. Working with the group Strong Towns Blono, Delia was chosen to create murals that lead from the Bloomington Public Library to the McLean County Museum of History. Here are a few photos of the beautiful murals she created, honoring the circus history of Bloomington while aiding pedestrians with wayfinding. We are so proud of her and this project! Check out a news spotlight about the mural project. 

Collage of photos of sidewalk mural art. In the first photo, Help Desk GA Delia sits on a sidewalk and paints part of a mural. Second photo: sidewalk mural in which a ballerina with blue skin sits atop a pink circus elephant. Third photo: sidewalk mural in which an aerial dancer with pink skin hangs upside down from blue ribbons. Fourth photo: sidewalk mural in which a line of blue rabbits jumping down the sidewalk and one blue rabbit is peeking out from inside a blue top hat.

Graduation & Farewells

We are very proud of our five Help Desk GAs who have graduated this May and are moving on to the next big step in their lives! We are so sad to let them go, but we know they are all going to do amazing things. You can check out our blog and Facebook to see some farewell posts for each of them. 

We are also very proud of two of our graduated GA’s who received special iSchool student awards at graduation. Delia received the Herbert Goldhor Award for Public Librarianship and Audrey received the Downs Faculty Special Award of Merit. We are so glad that their wonderful leadership, creativity, and contributions to the iSchool community have been recognized! 

Five Help Desk GAs sitting on a couch and smiling together. Left to right: Victoria (MSLIS ’25 graduate) in her gown and hood; Britany; Maggie; Wanheng (MSLIS ’25 graduate) in gown and hood and holding her cap; Elliot.

iSchool Resource Zine

Our wonderful, recently graduated Help Desker Delia has been working very hard this past year to create a beautiful new resource for the iSchool community, and we are so excited to announce that these zines are now available at the Help Desk! Check out our new iSchool Resource Guide zines, which you can currently find on our community shelf near the Help Desk at 614 E Daniel. Including beautiful, one-of-a-kind illustrations, this zine is a great guide to the iSchool as well as other important campus and off-campus resources for students. Feel free to take one, share them, and/or bring your own zines for the zine shelf!

Small Zine that reads “Welcome to the iSchool future librarians! A resource guide for students in Information Sciences. Written and Illustrated by Delia Kerr-Dennhardt. Sponsored by the ALA & QLA in collaboration with the Help Desk.” There is an illustration of six Help Desk GAs depicted as various cute animals, reading books and hanging out.
A shelf with a sign that reads “Zine Library. Feel free to take, make, and donate your own zines!”. On the shelf is a collection of iSchool Resource zines and other small zines.

Upcoming…

Thank you so much for reading our newsletter, and for all of your support! We are excited to be able to keep everyone updated on the fun things happening at the Help Desk and in our community. Keep an eye out for next month’s newsletter!

Most of the current/newly graduated Help Desk GAs posing behind the Help Desk with paper hearts, one party hat, and smiles. Left to right: Victoria, Mohammed, Daniel (his face is covered), Maggie, Kyleigh, Delia, Audrey, Britany, Elliot, and Gates.

bon Voyage, Victoria

As we wish a fond farewell to our graduating GAs, we’re taking another opportunity to get to know them better and to share their fabulousness with you. They might be graduating, but Once Team Awesome, Always Team Awesome.

Where are you from and what’s your favorite part about it?

Ghana. You don’t get bored. You can have fun and be yourself, it is welcoming.

What was your favorite part about working at the Help Desk?

Being able to help people with their problems make their lives easier is fun.

Favorite game?

Chess.

Favorite place to hang out on campus?

The Quad.

Is there a technology that you’re super excited about?

Camera.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

My daughter.

Theme song of your life?

I’ve got Joy.

Favorite memory from the iSchool or what you’ll miss most?

My colleagues (at the Help Desk) and being with them.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what kind of animal would it be, what would you name it, and what unusual tricks would you teach it?

Cat; Bambi; teach her to dance.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it for good (or fun!) in the world?

Fly in and out, to go back to Ghana.

Plans/goals after graduation?

Hoping to get an offer to be a research librarian and manage social media and work on information literacy.

Whimsical Wanderings, Wanheng

As we wish a fond farewell to our graduating GAs, we’re taking another opportunity to get to know them better and to share their fabulousness with you. They might be graduating, but Once Team Awesome, Always Team Awesome.

Where are you from and what’s your favorite part about it?

China, Sichuan. The relaxed vibe and Pandas!!

What was your favorite part about working at the Help Desk?

Team Awesome/co-workers and our social events, connections with others at the iSchool.

Favorite game?

Baldur’s Gate 3.

Favorite place to hang out on campus?

iSchool HUB building/MPR.

Is there a technology that you’re super excited about?

AI Tools for slides.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

Anime instead of real life.

Theme song of your life?

Anime song Number One from Bleach.

Favorite memory from the iSchool or what you’ll miss most?

The Help Desk/Social Gatherings.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what kind of animal would it be, what would you name it, and what unusual tricks would you teach it?

Bird; AI; teach it to talk in my voice to answer phone calls, etc.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it for good (or fun!) in the world?

Invisible (nothing illegal) to watch people and learn so it’s not weird.

Plans/goals after graduation?

Get a job! Get an apartment for long term to grow plants and vegetables.

Glorious Get-away, Gates

As we wish a fond farewell to our graduating GAs, we’re taking another opportunity to get to know them better and to share their fabulousness with you. They might be graduating, but Once Team Awesome, Always Team Awesome.

Where are you from and what’s your favorite part about it?

Chicago. Lakefront Trail/the Food.

What was your favorite part about working at the Help Desk?

The people who we work with and the people we help.

Favorite game?

Pathfinder 2nd edition; Kenshi.

Favorite place to hang out on campus?

Boneyard/Quad/Main Library.

Is there a technology that you’re super excited about?

Built PC/Linux (ed. note: getting pretty nerdy there, Gates!).

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

Jake Gyllenhaal.

Theme song of your life?

Underdog by Spoon.

Favorite memory from the iSchool or what you’ll miss most?

The friends made, being close to Chicago and close to folks.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what kind of animal would it be, what would you name it, and what unusual tricks would you teach it?

A Raven. Doug. Stealing Money.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it for good (or fun!) in the world?

Telekinesis, vigilante stuff.

Plans/goals after graduation?

Going to Chicago; Model Painting Project; get a job.

Delightful Departure, Delia

As we wish a fond farewell to our graduating GAs, we’re taking another opportunity to get to know them better and to share their fabulousness with you. They might be graduating, but Once Team Awesome, Always Team Awesome.

Where are you from and what’s your favorite part about it?

Rural Illinois. Sunset and fireflies.

What was your favorite part about working at the Help Desk?

The people, everybody’s nice.

Favorite game?

Scrabble.

Favorite place to hang out on campus?

MidSummer Lounge.

Is there a technology that you’re super excited about?

iPads.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

Lily James.

Theme song of your life?

Teenage Mutant Turtles Theme Song.

Favorite memory from the iSchool or what you’ll miss most?

GEO Parties. Dancing is fun.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what kind of animal would it be, what would you name it, and what unusual tricks would you teach it?

Dog that I have (or a tiny Griffin); Thumbelina, to not jump on people.

portrait of Delia with Thumbilina

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it for good (or fun!) in the world?

Make plants grow, save rain forests.

Plans/goals after graduation?

Public Libraries/Art Programming.

Au revoir, Audrey

As we wish a fond farewell to our graduating GAs, we’re taking another opportunity to get to know them better and to share their fabulousness with you. They might be graduating, but Once Team Awesome, Always Team Awesome.

Where are you from and what’s your favorite part about it?

Versailles Missouri. The most beautiful sunsets from the back porch.

What was your favorite part about working at the Help Desk?

Everyone coming over and chatting, being a central hub of the iSchool and getting to know people.

Favorite game?

Hollow Knight.

Favorite place to hang out on campus?

Caffe Paradiso.

Is there a technology that you’re super excited about?

Drawing tablets.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

Keira Knightley.

Theme song of your life?

Walk by the Foo Fighters.

Favorite memory from the iSchool or what you’ll miss most?

The day Sinclair’s opened. Walking with GAs to get coffee.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what kind of animal would it be, what would you name it, and what unusual tricks would you teach it?

House Cat; Rubard; juggling.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it for good (or fun!) in the world?

Stop time, use it for more crafting.

Plans/goals after graduation?

Hoping to get a job a Vanderbilt for creative and instruction libraries. (Editor update: manifesting works! She got the job!)

Get Reacquainted with Team Awesome Alums–Bobbi (Battleson) Hardy

Bobbi (Battleson) Hardy is an August 2016 alum of the LIS program, and a Team Awesome alum from the mid aughts. Do we wish we had her here that whole time? Heckin’ yeah! Alas, life had other, wonderful plans for Bobbi. She’s currently living (and working) in Farmer City, Illinois. She’s remote working for Engineering IT at the University of Illinois as their Communications and Customer Relations Coordinator.
 
Anything going on in life right now that’s especially awesome, bearing in mind that simply surviving is really pretty damned awesome?
Preparing to enter a year-long internship for a Masters in Social Work – Advanced Clinical with Mental Health concentration and learning new knitting techniques. I’ve also found that axe throwing is my sport of choice.
What do you remember best about your time on Team Awesome? Any particular stories you want to share?
Building relationships with colleagues and staff and faculty was my favorite part. I do fondly remember helping folks from around the world, over the phone without screen sharing, navigate file management and web publishing for required class sites in 2005!
Do you find yourself using Help Desk/ITD/Team Awesome skills in your current life?
The customer service skills and experiences I had impact my daily work and how I treat other customer service workers, even MediaCom.
What was your favorite class or instructor when you were in school?
I enjoyed every class I took. I loved the 8-week course on Comics with Carol Tilley. It changed my perspective on information delivery. I must mention Intro to Network Information Systems – with Martin Wolske. I credit that class, and Team Awesome, with getting me started in my IT career! Other honorable mentions: Library Buildings, Storytelling, Readers Advisory, Information Modeling, IT Project Management, Global Context and Social Justice in Youth Literature
Any regrets about your time here?
I wish I had been more involved with some of the social groups. When I started, I lived in Urbana and was single. When I came back to finish my degree, I was married, commuting, and working full-time so my social availability was limited.
Cat or dog?
Cats, but I take every opportunity to meet new dog friends.
What’s your favorite meme?
Kermit the Frog, sipping tea – I can’t get enough of them.
Any recommendations for good TV shows?
West Wing is my all-time, ultimate favorite. More recently, Ted Lasso has been great. I just discovered the podcast ‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends’ so I’m re-watching Scrubs. I’m a sucker for any Masterpiece Theater show and Star Trek series. I also enjoyed Longmire this last year.
Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?

One horse-sized duck! Once you got over the shock of the size, it’s just a matter of getting to a Subway and ordering bread, er, a sandwich for the duck! Problem solved. “Don’t bother ringing it up – it’s for a duck!” (RIP Mitch Hedberg)

Get Reacquainted with Team Awesome Alums–Katie Dunneback

Today we go in-depth, no holds barred, super-duper-softball-questions with 2003 Team Awesome alum, Katie Dunneback. Katie is currently working at a federal library in DC—well, if we’re being literal, she’s doing work for a federal library in DC from a top-secret remote location (her parents’ home in Chicago!).

Anything going on in life right now that’s especially awesome, bearing in mind that simply surviving is really pretty damned awesome?

My “pandemic project” was to launch a YouTube channel and associated Instagram account focusing on planners and goal setting called Crafting Ruby Dreams. I’ve also been digging into Clifton Strengths, and learning a lot about myself as a person and as a fiction writer. I’m looking forward to getting back into writing fiction again in 2021.

What do you remember best about your time on Team Awesome? Any particular stories you want to share?

The camaraderie of the cohort I worked with, even though I was only there 10 hours a week since I split my GA time with #TeamAwesome and the Vet Med library (RIP). The two things I remember best about my time is frequently resetting Don Krummel’s 16mm film reels. There was one time I had to reorient one from being both backwards *AND* upside down, but I managed it! The other was dressing up for Halloween with the rest of #TeamAwesome and posing with Brynnen in the lobby between 126 and 131.

Do you find yourself using Team Awesome skills in your current life?

I’m often the tech support for my parents’ even though I’m halfway across the country. I also use a lot of the skills I learned in my personal life, like figuring out the setup I need for working from home or the YouTube channel. I don’t use the hard skills for the day job as I’d get in trouble (😁), but I do use the thought processes I developed for sorting out various system issues I encounter. But having the language of tech support helps me when dealing with my office’s tech support.

What was your favorite class or instructor when you were in school?

I loved the Networking class with Martin as I learned a lot of useful skills I’ve been able to use through the years. I also really enjoyed Cataloging I with Linda Bial as I’m constantly relying on what I learned in that class these days. Science Reference with Linda Smith was another favorite. But I think my absolute favorite was Adult Popular Literature since I led the petition campaign to bring it back!

Any regrets about your time here? (a class you wish you’d taken, a club you should have joined, etc.)

No real regrets from me. For classes, it helped that my mom was a practicing librarian and gave me a lot of direction on what classes to take. I also made a lot of great friendships through my time at Illinois, and routinely see friends at library conferences when I’m able to attend.

Cat or dog?

I’m a dog person, but I’m sans pets at the moment.

What’s your favorite meme?

Ohhhh!! Good question. I cannot pick just one.

Any recommendations for good TV shows?

DERRY GIRLS! I went to an all-girls Catholic high school in the early-90s (Chicago, not Ireland, though) and may have had a few flashbacks.

Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?

Hmmmm…duck-sized horses have the numbers, but a horse-sized duck has the bulk and they’re effing mean. I’ll go with duck-sized horses!

Get Reacquainted with Team Awesome Alums–Troy Babbs

I’m super excited to share our first 2021 Team Awesome alum profile with you! Troy Babbs graduated in 2014 (which he asserts is the best year to have graduated), and he’s three credits shy of getting is CAS. He’s a local, living north of Champaign, and working as the Marketing Manager at a digital forensics/cybersecurity firm based out of Chicago and Miami. If this picture doesn’t convince you of how wonderful Troy is, keep reading. You’ll know how great he is by the end of his profile, hilariously written by him and left largely unedited by me because, well, I’ll let him tell the story in his own words . . .

Anything going on in life right now that’s especially awesome, bearing in mind that simply surviving is really pretty damned awesome right now?

Besides depression? I started as a part-time social media coordinator at my current job and now have full-time hours composing lots of blog posts, doing research, touching up Website design and selling myself/the company to maximize prospects and solve problems. EXCITING!! Plus, lots of side hustles such as the TV And A Movie podcast I do with my daughter in an effort to get more female voices in the podcast world…and an opportunity to swear at each other in public! (Set to release in January 2021 – please grade us on a curve).

 

What do you remember best about your days as a GA? Any funny/crazy stories you can share?
  • We literally had the best Help Desk staff in the history of Help Desking (sorry to break this to everyone else but I’m pretty sure you’re awesome in your own way).
  • There was the gentleman who was looking for light-up pens that the iSchool of old had. They had a sentimental attachment for him and I hunted down some castaway pens in the main office. After sending them to him, we looked up his Website and discovered an Angelfire-like, bells and whistles laden diatribe against left-wing politics. (oof)
  • Back in the days of every class being personed by an ITD TA, there was a teacher running late for their first class of the semester. We were chatting in our Lync room and, as soon as the TA called the class off, I yelled down the hallway that he just logged on and the sound of screaming/laughing reverberated down the hallway!
  • Becca McGuire and I CRUSHED our Web page/HTML seminar…use your search engine skills to dig that up!
  • The last shift before a Winter break, Madison Sullivan and I had a ‘90’s boy band YouTube marathon all…day…long!
  • And how could I forget my first week as a GA/TA when the building flooded and we had to go into action mode to save computers and salvage what we could? Plus we scored free donuts for it. What is better to a GA/TA than free food?!
  • My ultimate legacy is what has been considered to be the best Moodle profile in the game. My daughter has pledged to have it displayed on the wall of the auditorium where we will have my funereal celebration. (My penultimate legacy is the smattering of “Take It To The Moodle” bumper stickers that are still scattered around the building.)
Do you find yourself using Team Awesome skills in your current life?

Research, research, research!! In addition to analyzing stats and optimizing SEO results, all in efforts to expand our reach…and maybe teach people a little thing or two about life along the way.

 

What was your favorite class or instructor when you were in school?
  • I had Leigh Estabrook for my initial 502 course and that was a great introduction to the program.
  • Always a fan of Karen Wickett and Dave Dubin (oh, those wondrous game nights!!).
  • I tried to resist taking 562 – Metadata for the longest time but it turned out it was the most valuable class I took!
  • My favorite class I DIDN’T take was Bobby Bothmann’s Cataloguing class. Being a TA definitely had its perks!
Any regrets such as a class you wish you had taken, a club you should have joined, an event you weren’t able to go to, etc.?

I was fortunate to take advantage of almost every opportunity available to me, be it Dublin Core, SLA and ALA conferences and being the Treasurer of the SLA board.

Favorite meme?

As a meme connoisseur I have the innate ability to gather and examine all memes.

    • Cat and woman pointing memes but ONLY when they relate to UX…don’t be a poser and post anything else. Keep this meme pure.
    • Wholesome memes are bae and never turn out to be just fam.
    • Twin Peaks memes are art. (James is, and always will be, cool.)
    • (Another shameless plug – I’m more of a Vine connoisseur and you can go to Facebook and follow the page I run with my bestie (whom I met through GSLIS), Troy & Hilly’s Daily Vinespirations, for PREMIUM Vine curation!)
Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?

Look I am literally a liker not a fighter but IF I was faced with such a quandary and couldn’t win them over with my effusive personality, I would have to face a horse-sized duck because one loaf of bread would keep them distracted until I could get a saddle and make them my go-to transportation.

Cat or dog or ???

Well I’m a library school graduate where they give you a cat with your diploma so what do you think? (Another shameless plug – go to Facebook and follow Li’l Hits The Best Cat In The Universe. This is scientifically proven.)

Get Reacquainted with Team Awesome Alums–Sean Gordon

Sean Gordon

Sean graduated in 2015 and recently started work as an ontologist on a greenfield project that is expected to last 5-10 years. He negotiated for 60% work from anywhere and a solid 5 weeks of uninterrupted vacation to return to India and continue his yoga training. (Shout out from Sean to Dean Estabrook, her negotiation tactics, and the perspective that “salary is only part of the total compensation package.”)

What do you remember best about your days as a GA? Any funny/crazy stories you can share?

The strong community and connection of on campus staff faculty and students. Particularly of Team Awesome.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to share any stories until the statute of limitations runs out.

Do you find yourself using Team Awesome skills in your current life?

Professional teamwork, innovation with what you’ve got, and an ability to get people to express the real problem are all skills I learned from my time with Team Awesome and are part of my daily work.

What was your favorite class or instructor when you were in school?
That’s a hard choice. I really have to say that it wasn’t a class or a faculty member that really taught me the most about how to show up and get involved which is what it takes to succeed. I would not be where I am today without Jill Gengler.

Any regrets such as a class you wish you had taken, a club you should have joined, an event you weren’t able to go to, etc.?

No ragrets

Favorite meme?
You never forget your first: https://imgflip.com/i/3zlumb

Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?
No. I’m a lover, not a fighter.

Cat or dog or ???

Dags.

Jen here! I snagged this pic of Fae off of Sean’s Facebook page. Fae is simply amazing and snagged a good human when she adopted Sean. Every day is an adventure. 😀