Whence it began

The birth of my daughter, 20 years ago, prompted an interest in a career in education.  My initial interest was in teaching at the elementary school level.  However, as I completed the student teaching portion for the BS in Elementary Education, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Dorothy Vickers-Shelley.  She was the librarian in the elementary school at which I was assigned.  This encounter had a significant effect on me, placing me on the road to a career that was meant for me, although this was my first introduction to librarianship as a career.  In addition to the introduction to librarianship, this was also my first encounter with an African American librarian.  Libraries have always been a part of my life so it was astonishing to me that I was well into my young adult years before meeting a librarian who was of African descent.  Upon completing my BS I immediately enrolled in a MLS program, with the intent of becoming a school librarian.  The thinking was, as a school librarian, I could combine the best of both worlds, a career in education and librarianship.