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Alicia
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Info
- AmeriCorps Member, Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach CountyCivic & Social Organization | West Palm Beach, Florida Area, USSummary
Digitally savvy researcher with a passion for building and empowering communities.
Experience- Aug 2011 - PresentAmeriCorps Member / Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County
I'm currently working as the English Exchange instructor for the Palm Beach County Library System. I teach conversational English classes at six different libraries in the county for adult English Language Learners, a preliteracy reading class and basic computer classes. I am trained as a civic reflection facilitator to lead meaningful conversations between AmeriCorps members on the value of service.
For my first year I provided literacy tutoring to developmentally disabled students enrolled in Gulfstream Goodwill's Life Academy. I also provided tutoring for Farmworker Children's Council's after-school homework help program where I worked with pre-K through 2nd grade English Language Learners. I organized two mentoring days that united my cohort of 40 AmeriCorps members with over 60 students with disabilities.
- Jun 2010 - Aug 2011Social Media Assistant / Sacramento Press
Planned and executed innovative social media campaigns to drive online content for clients. Organized events both online and offline for clients through social media channels. Monitored online buzz and user response to assemble performance reports. Researched target populations, digital strategies and new tools to incorporate into projects.
- Mar 2010 - Mar 2010Research Assistant / Wireless Generation
Collected early literacy data from elementary school students in the Sacramento City Unified School District using oral reading, comprehension and vocabulary behavioral measures.
- Oct 2008 - Aug 2009Market Research Intern / Workplace Technologies Research Inc.
Researched and designed cognitive probes to gauge and improve corporate decision-making processes.
- Sept 2007 - Jun 2009Research Assistant / UC San Diego Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
Collected behavioral and imaging data from typically developing children and youth with spastic diplegia type cerebral palsy for several studies.
- Mar 2006 - Mar 2007Research Assistant / UC San Diego Cognitive Development Lab
Collaborated with researchers on study investigating the development of shared attention between infants and parents by focusing on pointing comprehension and production.
Education-
2012 - 2014San Jose State UniversityMaster of Library & Information Science (MLIS)
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2005 - 2009University of California, San DiegoB.S. in Cognitive Science with specialization in human cognition
Activities: Undergraduate teaching assistant for upper division cognitive ethnography course; NSF-funded market research intern; Co-chair of Revelle Semi-Formal Committee
Additional Information-
Honors:Provost's Honors, 2006-9 Cognitive Science Excellent Teaching Award, 2009
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Interests:Health and wellness, library and information science, culture and cognition, open access, education, music, social media, usability, human-computer interaction.
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Checkins
- The Sandbar at Boston's on the Beach60 S Ocean Blvd
- Plaza Ice Cream ParlorMain Street, U.S.A.
- Be Our Guest RestaurantFantasyland, Magic Kingdom
- West Boynton Library9451 S Jog Rd
- Calle Ocho2700 SW 8th St
- Little HavanaSW 13th Ave
- Dixie Grill and Bar5101 S Dixie Hwy
- Boynton Beach Library208 S Seacrest Blvd
- Palm Beach County Library System3650 Summit Blvd
- Palm Beach County Library System5689 Okeechobee Blvd
- Havana Hideout509 Lake Ave
- Dixie Grill and Bar5101 S Dixie Hwy
- Norton Museum Of Art1451 S Olive Ave
- Loggerhead Marinelife Center14200 US Highway 1
- Dixie Grill and Bar5101 S Dixie Hwy
- Locks Of Love234 Southern Blvd
- Books & Books265 Aragon Ave
- Angelique Euro Café117 Miracle Mile
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Photos" data-title="Pictionary in "Teacher Alicia's" class today. Take a wild guess." data-link=""> " data-title="I told these beezies to smile and this is what I got." data-link=""> " data-title="Biddy time! @nastii_by_nature @ashleysparroww" data-link=""> " data-title="#sunshinestate 😒" data-link=""> " data-title="Helping at the Motivation Man Triathlon. 6am start. What was I thinking?" data-link=""> " data-title="When your friends are at the bar/beach and you're stuck at home miserably sick, treat yoself. #thisneverhappenstome #whybodywhy" data-link=""> " data-title="Inspirational library bathroom graffiti artist strikes again. This time spotted at the West Boca Branch." data-link=""> " data-title="Morning run. #ABeautifulMess" data-link=""> " data-title="I won a scholarship! And the Bulls/Heat are playing." data-link=""> " data-title=""Drinking every night because we drink to our accomplishments." @saywhat_pitachips_nom" data-link=""> " data-title="Back in action!" data-link=""> " data-title=""Well, friend, we tried. But it always comes back to one thing: drinkery." - @keepcalmquotesrdumb" data-link=""> " data-title="Chillin with @keepcalmquotesrdumb" data-link=""> " data-title="Sharing a drink with the most interesting man in the world this afternoon." data-link=""> " data-title="@rachaelannmott @ashleysparroww" data-link=""> " data-title="Business in the front, party in the back. #birthdaydress" data-link=""> " data-title="If I don't return after tonight, contact @jcrimski" data-link=""> " data-title="Birthday shots at 1pm? Sure, why not? #tequila #babybrotherpaid" data-link=""> " data-title="Again, THIS guy." data-link=""> " data-title="The bookends, as my mom would say." data-link="">
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Tweets
- Last week of classes. I freaking hate goodbyes.
- @heapaleap I will! I hope it's somewhere good.
- @heapaleap omg! You're cray. Well that will be a welcome change.
- @heapaleap I applied for one job in San Jose haha. Did you get a new job?
- @heapaleap Not sure. Depends where I get a job. I'm looking everywhere in California but I'd like to be back in NorCal.
- "I went to the...beach. Beach? Is that right? I always get in trouble when I say that word wrong." -adult ESOL student misunderstandingsJun 11, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @heapaleap Thanks! And yes, I am. Just bought my one-way ticket today. I'm peacing out this b.
- Love ya, Cali, but not sad that I missed the 106 degree weather in Woodland/Sac yesterday.Jun 09, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- I went to Starbucks to do some hardcore job applications. So far I've signed up for two courses on @coursera. Productivity.Jun 08, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- What's with the THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS of rain, Florida? I'm losing my tan.Jun 06, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Working late and all I want to do is celebrate National Running Day.Jun 05, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- RT @mr_jasonjones: Stern on Kings: “We are pleased for both the Maloof family and the Ranadive group, but particularly pleased for the fans…May 31, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @heapaleap Priorities.
- @feedly For the past three days feedly won't update for me. I get this message: "Synchronizing feedly v.14.0. Please wait....." Never synchsMay 31, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- When your friends are at the bar/beach and you're stuck at home miserably sick, treat yoself.… http://t.co/SfaBSb8L1g
- You know it's summer in South Florida when gross lizards come out. https://t.co/OeSZrRaCA8
- "I like it better when people are a little crazy. Not normal." -studentMay 21, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Today I taught a student how to put her new iPhone on vibrate. Millenials in da house.May 20, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Inspirational library bathroom graffiti artist strikes again. This time spotted at the West Boca Branch. http://t.co/RGZsJ1CpOa
- Straight A's for my second semester of grad school. Onto the job search...#itneverstopsMay 15, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Posts
- Dec 17, 12
“I’m going to make this place your home.” –Phillip Phillips
Over the past three months I’ve fluctuated between a little and devastatingly homesick. This longing for familiarity has dizzied my brain with all its running in circles. I’m in a sort of limbo where I’m not sure where I should refer to as home: the place I am currently, physically in, or the place so familiar to me where I was born and raised.
Is home a place? No, I don’t think so. Is it part of it? Yes. A year ago, when I went home for winter break, I remember driving down my hometown streets with the windows down, even though it was about 50 degrees outside. The feel of cold, humidity-free air after the suffocating Florida summer and “fall” was amazing, as was pulling into each of my parents’ and friends’ driveways. There was one mind-blowing moment when I was configuring my rental car’s radio stations. I came across a station that was playing Spanish-pop songs, and I excitedly said to myself, “Oh! This reminds me of home!” Home, as in Florida, the state I had just flown 3,000 miles from. It was like I had mistakenly called my lover by my mistress’ name.
Is home people? Of course. But people change all the time. I’ve had this crashing realization when relationships crumble away unexpectedly and when friends start making homes of their own. The feeling of home can dissolve pretty quickly, but it can be recreated, too. When I come home from work, there’s no better feeling than joining my roommates curled up on our couches in the living room and recounting our days. That feels like home. When I laugh so hard I cry at dinner with friends I’ve known for over a decade in California, that feels like home, too.
There are some people that will always incite the warm feeling of home in me. My mom is one of them. There have been too many times to count over the past months where all I wanted was a mom hug. There is no substitute for that, no matter how great of friends or boyfriend you have within arm’s reach. Instead I had to satisfy myself with long-distance phone calls that were calming but still left something to be desired. In between body-shaking sobs I’d cry that I just wanted to go home. My mom would gently remind me that going home would not simply solve all of my problems. Things would be different than the last time I was home. Things are always changing.
In two days, I’ll embark on about eight hours of flying time and touch down just after nightfall on the west coast. My home. It may not be my current place of residence, but as of now that’s what I will continue to call it because that’s what I’m used to. I’m eager to see what exactly this will feel like. It may be that home is neither place nor people, but points in time; fleeting moments when all the right people are in the right place at the right time, and this beautiful sense of belonging happens.
Or maybe home is simply a choice, and I’ll just have to try a little harder to make this place my home.
- Sep 15, 12
It’s a few weeks into this academic semester and I can already see the drastic differences between attending class in a physical environment versus a virtual one. By nature, I am a procrastinator. Luckily, I’m also obsessed with planning and making lists and schedules for anything and everything, and when I do actually do this I tend to forego my procrastinating nature because I have a written guide in front of me to follow.
I’ve already seen my procrastinating flaw appear (just look at how long I’ve taken to complete this blog post!) but that was because I didn’t sit down at the beginning of the semester and set an explicit schedule for myself. The result of this? A missed deadline for easy introductory points in one class, a scurrying this weekend to catch up on readings I put off and some frustrated tears (just a couple, I promise). I decided I needed to put in place two of the most important aspects of if online is right for me: strong time management and organizational skills. This week I finally took a deep breath, sat down with all four of my green sheets, and calendared every single due date and reading for my ten units worth of classes. I felt my anxiety start to lift as I looked at the semester in a tangible representation before me. It finally seemed doable.
One of the things that is the most intimidating to met about the online environment are group projects, which seems to be a general consensus among my classmates. I had to laugh with the rest of the audience during Dr. Hancock’s lecture when he was describing the six phases of group projects, especially the disillusionment and panic steps. I have definitely had those types of experiences with group projects in physical environments, and in a virtual one it seems like the possibility for complications is even greater. However, I’m confident that as adults invested in such a serious program we shouldn’t have any problems. This falls in line with Dr. Hancock’s idea of setting clearly defined goals. Task allocation will also be a priority in determining who has what responsibilities. The individual task most important to my ability to contribute to my team will be to plan accordingly so I’m not the “guilty,” as Dr. Hancock labels the slackers.
After I push “publish” I will have completed my last assignment for this class and finished my first graduate course. I’m not going to lie, it’s a little thrilling. I’ve already learned so many things I will do different next semester to make my life easier.
Deep breaths. Whew.
- Aug 20, 12
These last few days have been a whirlwind of interviews. For my second term of AmeriCorps, I knew I wanted to work in a library or as part of a specific library program. I interviewed at two different public libraries, as well as an English exchange program for one of the county’s public library. As I made my way through the different floors of each library and weaved my way in and out of stacks and patrons, I felt a sense of reassurance that this is where I need to be. This aspect of the interviews did not surprise me. The surprising part of each interview was the overwhelming support and enthusiasm from all six of my interviewers once they glanced over my resume and realized I had begun my MLIS studies. Job shadowing and networking opportunities came tumbling forth, as well as an onslaught of business cards. All of them made me promise that whether or not I was placed at their site, I would stay in contact with them and reach out to them if I needed any help. It made my decision so difficult to make, because I wanted to work with all of them.
Ultimately, though, I chose to work in Palm Beach County Public Library’s English Exchange program. I will be traveling to six different libraries in the county teaching two-hour conversational English classes that are offered free of charge to the public. I’m a little intimidated because, while I’ve tutored one-on-one and TA’d for a college course, I’ve never taught my own class. I will be in complete control over lesson-planning and course instruction, as well as teaching beginning level computer courses. As nervous as I am, I think I made the right decision in challenging myself. The networking opportunities that will come from working in six different public libraries won’t hurt, either.
The encouragement that I encountered from my future-peers was especially nice to hear after reading this post in the Hack Library School’s blog that is by and for students. There are always going to be Negative Nellies, but it’s good to know that in a crowd of doubters there will also always be gems to be found.
- Aug 07, 12
Like many, my love of libraries started at a young age in my local public library. Each trip ended with a stack of books that required one of my parent’s and at least one of my younger brother’s help carrying out the door. I was a voracious reader, and the library quenched my thirst–for free! I still have my reading logs from the summer readathons they held every year. I always took the library for granted, especially at such a young age, and I never considered what an amenity it was for the public until I was 500 miles away starting my junior year of college. There was an initiative on my hometown’s ballot to close the public library. WHAT? I didn’t even think that was possible. I immediately requested an absentee ballot, and luckily for me, and my town, it received enough support to remain open.
During college my campus’ biomedical library became my safe haven. I couldn’t concentrate in my apartment with so many distractions (TV? Fridge? Roommates?) so I’d haul myself and my coffee to the wall-to-wall windowed building where I could study in peace. It became a habit, and I found myself actually looking forward to dates with just myself and the stacks as I studied the way the human mind sorted, stored and made sense of information.
I returned to my hometown’s public library after I graduated to do all of my job searching and applications without distraction. I felt like I came full circle; here I was again, seeking solace in the institution that had never failed me before. It was in that very library that I completed my application for AmeriCorps, which took me to the other side of the country where I now use the Boynton Beach City Library to check out books for myself and my tutees. It’s the very library that I hope to serve at during my second term of service.
Libraries have been such a huge part of my life growing up. I’m excited to make them part of my adult life, too.
