Alumni

Kaylen Dwyer (MLIS UIUC, 2020)
Digital Media Specialist at IDRH, University of Kansas

Dwyer (Twitter Handle: @kaylen_dwyer) received her Master of Library and Information Sciences from UIUC in 2020. She served on the Editorial Board of SourceLab, contributed to the SourceLab Handbook and edition templates, set metadata guidelines for editions, and now serves on the Advisory Board. SourceLab brought together Dwyer’s interests in digital humanities projects and digital history while growing her skills in scholarly communication and publishing. As the Digital Media Specialist at the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Kansas, she now supports DH projects with consultations and instruction on text analysis, multi-modal digital storytelling projects, digital archives and exhibits, minimal computing, and digital mapping.

Saniya Ghanoui (P.h.D in history, uiuc 2021)
Program Director of Our Bodies Ourselves Today, Suffolk University

Ghanoui (Twitter Handle: @Saniya1) received her P.h.D in History from UIUC in 2021. She joined John Randolph in 2014 to become a founding member of the digital history project that would develop into SourceLab. Over her six years with SourceLab, she built the initiative’s infrastructure, co-authored SourceLab’s Handbook, taught HIST 207, served as the Managing Editor and Associate Editor on the Editorial Board, worked on the Steering Committee, and proposed three student editions. Her SourceLab experience strengthened her commitment to and enhanced her skillset in the digital humanities. She currently serves on SourceLab’s Advisory Board and works as the Program Director of Our Bodies Ourselves Today at Suffolk University.

Austin Justice (B.A. in History, UIUC 2020)
Metadata Coordinator, University of Southern Mississippi Libraries

Justice (Twitter Handle: @The_Lincolnian) received his B.A. in History from UIUC in 2020 and will attain his Master of Library and Information Science in 2024. Austin has been involved with SourceLab as an author, editor, and member of the Steering Committee. After graduation, he served as the Digital Archivist for the Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi, a digital documentary collaboration between USM, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and MDL to provide online access to governors’ papers between 1859 and 1882. He is currently the Metadata Coordinator at the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, where he oversees metadata practices for digital resources in the Libraries’ Digital Collections and related initiatives.

Matthew Klopfenstein (P.h.D in History, UIUC 2021)
Graduate Fellowships Advisor, University of South Carolina

Klopfenstein received his P.h.D in History from UIUC in 2021. He first joined SourceLab as a member of the Steering Committee in 2019, then served on the Editorial Board for two years, and finally proposed an edition that would become “A Russian Funeral Film.” On the Editorial Board, he participated in establishing policies and procedures framed within larger conversations about SourceLab’s mission. Further, his role as a client on an edition helped him to consider his research’s impact beyond traditional academic audiences. These experiences are applicable in his new position as the Graduate Fellowships Advisor at the University of South Carolina, where grant and fellowship applications often require reflection on the broader impact and stakeholders of research projects.

Alison Marcotte (B.S. in News-Editorial Journalsim, UIUC 2015)
Digital Content Specialist, Good Earth Lighting; Children’s Book Author

Marcotte (Instagram Handle:  @alisonmarcottewrites) received her B.S. in News-Editorial Journalism and minor in History from UIUC in 2015. She first joined SourceLab in 2015 as an author, co-writing “Red Cross Work on MutilĂ©s, At Paris (1918)”, the first edition in the SourceLab prototype series. She was excited to participate in SourceLab’s inaugural class, which provided Marcotte with the opportunity to combine her interests in journalism, history, and entrepreneurship—passions that continue to drive her professional work today. She is currently a digital content specialist at Good Earth Lighting and a children’s book author. Her debut book, Seeking Best Friend, illustrated by Diane Ewen, was published by Beaming Books in January 2022.

Connor Monson (B.A. in History, UIUC 2017; MLIS UIUC 2021)
Manager, Champaign County History Museum

Monson received his B.A. in History from UIUC in 2017 and his Master of Library and Information Science in 2021. He joined SourceLab in 2016 and worked with the project in various capacities for over 5 years: as a member of the first SourceLab undergraduate class, as a member of the Editorial Board, and as the Vice Chair of the Steering Committee. His time with SourceLab provided focus as he decided what career he wanted to pursue professionally and he continues to advocate for new ways of writing history using digital tools. Monson is currently the manager of the Champaign County History Museum (CCHM), where he coordinates the museum’s efforts to conserve its collections, develop a practical archive, and plan new in person and digital exhibits.

Beth Ann Williams (P.h.D in History, UIUC 2020)
Visiting Assistant Professor of African History, Susquehanna University

Williams received her P.h.D in History from UIUC in 2020. She joined SourceLab as a founding member, serving in the initial working group, then as an Editorial Board Member, a Managing Editor, and now, after graduation, as an Advisory Board member. Her various roles in SourceLab gave her unique insights into the development of university initiatives, sparked creative ideas for student research and mentoring, and provided a space of collegial co-laboring. It was a delight on all fronts and has been part of what makes her a strong candidate for colleges interested in hiring multi-dimensional instructors. She currently works as a Visiting Assistant Professor of African History at Susquehanna University, and plans to teach at the collegiate level long term.

Krista Rae Zamora (B.A. in History, UIUC 2021)
Medical Assistant, Pinnacle Dermatology; Collections Intern, International Museum of Surgical Science

Zamora received her B.A. in History from UIUC in December 2021. She got involved with SourceLab in her senior year and was a co-author on the edition “A Medieval Surgery, Illustrated.” Her experience with SourceLab renewed her interest in historical research and inspired her to consider historical work, like a career in museums or archives, when she had originally concentrated solely on attending PA school. After her time with SourceLab, she decided to pursue museum work during her gap year. Now, she works as a Medical Assistant at Pinnacle Dermatology and as the Collections Intern at the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago, IL before she begins PA school in May 2023.