Leadership lived: Future librarian jump starts her career at UIS

Even as a little girl, Taylor Vazquez knew she wanted to become a librarian. Now, the English major is getting an early start on her career goal by working as a student manager at Brookens Library at the University of Illinois Springfield.

“My freshman year I saw they were hiring and said ‘let’s go for it’ and I got it,” she said. “It’s probably been the best decision I’ve ever made here at UIS.”

As a student manager, she oversees fellow employees, opens and closes the library and answers advanced research questions from patrons. She says the best part about the job is helping someone in need.

“It’s really just rewarding hearing a thank you from someone,” she said.

Vazquez is a member of the Capital Scholars Honors Program where she also serves a peer mentor. She is fiction editor for "The Alchemist Review", the UIS English Department's Literary Journal, and is a founding member of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society Chapter.

“The amount of opportunities that have been given to me is absolutely unreal,” she said. “I don’t know if I’d ever be where I am right now without UIS. There’s so many resources here and people who want to help you succeed and get ahead with your future.”

Following graduation from UIS, she plans to earn her master’s degree in library information science and begin her career as a librarian.

The Chicago-native is thankful that she chose UIS because of the personalized attention she’s received and the quality education.

“I really like the smallness of the school and being able to have a close one-on-one relationship with my peers and professors,” she said.

Reflecting on her years at UIS, she remarked that she’s “100 percent happy at UIS.”

“I can’t see myself anywhere else. I’m so happy here,” she said.

Leadership lived: Student orientation coordinator helps new students discover UIS

 
Kylah Foster-Griffin fell in love with the University of Illinois Springfield during a campus tour in high school. Now, the communication major is helping other students discover all that UIS has to offer as a student orientation coordinator.

Foster-Griffin began working as a student orientation leader during the summer of 2015. This year, she was promoted and now supervises almost 20 fellow students.

“It’s a big step,” she said. “I’ve never had to supervise anyone before in my life.”

Members of the orientation staff are responsible for organizing introductory events for all incoming freshmen, transfer and graduate students. They give campus tours, speak at orientation events and make sure new students get connected to the resources they need.

“I really enjoy meeting new faces, new people,” said Foster-Griffin. “I enjoy talking to parents, letting them know what I’ve been through at UIS and telling them that their student can also be successful.”

On campus, Foster-Griffin serves as the traditions chair for the Student Activities Committee, helping to plan UIS Homecoming and Springfest. She also recently served as west side secretary for the Residence Housing Association.

Following graduation from UIS, she plans to pursue her master’s degree and find a job in the higher education administration field.

“I’m very excited for these next two years of my life here at UIS,” she said. “I just can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me.”

UIS and SIU School of Medicine researchers to collaborate on important health research

Seven faculty members from the University of Illinois Springfield and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine have been awarded grants from the Caryl Towsley Moy, Ph.D., Endowed Fund for Collaborative Research.

Sameer Vohra, M.D., J.D., assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the SIU School of Medicine and Yanhui Guo, Ph.D., UIS assistant professor of computer science, will employ big data analytics to discover patterns and correlations that might aid in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients. Elham Khorasani, Ph.D., UIS assistant professor of computer science, also will join the team.

Hamed Qahri-Saremi, Ph.D., UIS assistant professor of management information systems and Robert Robinson, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at the SIU School of Medicine, will examine the different patterns of use of the Electronic Health Record system and their effects on the work routines in ambulatory health care settings. Rassule Hadidi, Ph.D., UIS professor of management information systems and Stacy Sattovia, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at the SIU School of Medicine, also will be part of the research team.

Richard Moy, M.D. (1931-2013), founding dean of the SIU School of Medicine, and his sons Philip and Eric Moy created the $250,000 endowed fund at UIS in honor of their wife and mother, former professor Caryl Moy (1932-2010). The fund supports faculty from UIS and the SIU School of Medicine who do team-based research. Caryl Moy taught for 21 years at UIS (then Sangamon State University) beginning in 1970. She also served as a clinical professor at the SIU School of Medicine.

For more information, contact Cecilia Cornell, UIS associate vice chancellor for graduate education, at 217/206-7230 or ccorn1@uis.edu.