With humble beginnings in the small Upper Peninsula city of Menominee, I quickly learned to appreciate the small-town life, the natural beauty of Michigan, and “da” old art of hunting for food. I also acquired the love of reading, writing, and books. My interests in teaching led me to Central Michigan University, where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and English. Then, after a short stay in Lansing, I moved to Kalamazoo, where I seized on the opportunity to be a part of the Kalamazoo Public Library as the evening Security Guard. Working so close to KPL staff reinforced my desire to become a librarian; thus I enrolled in Wayne State University’s MLIS program in 2008.
Career Goals
While my guard experience was fun and educational, I decided that my interests and career goals were better met elsewhere; and happily I became the new Law Library Intern at KPL. The Law Library became a good place for me, and now you will see me there much more in my new Library Associate position. Apart from my work in the Law Library, I believe that my love of books and natural gift for teaching will eventually lead me to an academic librarian position and eventually a professor of philosophy.
Academic Interests
My academic interests include philosophy, religion, and, of course, law. Particularly, I’m interested in the relationship between scientific truth and other forms of truth, e.g. philosophy, religion, literature, etc. Philosophy, originally meaning the “love of wisdom,” now could properly be described as a discipline in critical thinking; a skill I believe to be of paramount importance for being a good thinker, a good citizen, and even an informed moral agent.
Working in the Law Library, I find interesting the connections between philosophy and law: for example, what sorts of assumptions about right and wrong is the law based on? What is justice? Law seems to presuppose that human choices are free and undetermined; what does that mean? The questions never end, which makes the few answers even more meaningful.