Ladies and Gentlemen, Hannah Gomez
Posted November 3, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
I met Hannah while dissecting the motherboard of a PC in LIS 488. I think we had the most fun of anyone in the class because we made up names for the parts we didn’t know. She is a dual degree Children’s Literature/Library Science student here at Simmons, so she’s a superhero in my mind. Enjoy meeting Hannah Gomez, with these incredibly serious interview questions that really get to the heart of who GSLIS students really are.
1) If you could be assume a role in a book who would you be?
As I kid I was always jealous of Dinnie in Sharon Creech’s Bloomability because she got to go to international school, which seemed so much more exotic and intellectual and independent than plain old school. Now that K-12 school is behind me and that’s not an option, I can’t think of anyone in a book I really love whose life I’m not already living (hence my liking them).
2) What’s been the most exciting part about being in the dual degree program so far?
Sorry, what? I’ll get back to you on that when I’m done reading six children’s and/or YA novels a week and learning both critical theory and practical, real life applications of it. Really the best part is that I’m finally not considered quirky (or at least not as quirky), because everyone who studies children’s literature is a nerd. I have found my people!
3) What does a typical day look like for you?
Oversleep, snooze the alarm between three and seven times, finally get up. Shower, eat, and Internet my morning. Do homework or read a novel (most days I have to read an entire one if I’m going to stay on top of things). Go to work or school, followed by the other one. Come home, Hulu or homework (okay, both), look up and realize it’s 2am, crash. Repeat. I think I have been claiming to work out and write a novel, but I’m not sure where those have gone. Any time I consider them, I get a call from Buffy, Liz Lemon, or Mulder and Scully, and then they win.
4) What has been your favorite LIS class so far?
My favorite class has definitely been 422 (Literacy and Services to Underserved Populations: Issues and Responses) with Shelley Quezada. I’m not as interested in the library science part of things (though that’s slowly changing as my new job and my love for digital content management and creation start coming out) as I am about the library service, so learning about advocacy, early literacy, outreach, and other types of service really spoke to me. Also, how often in your twenties do you get field trips? We had three!
5) If you could have any super power what would it be and why?
Can I call mermaid abilities a superpower? I love to swim, and I assume that the ability to swim in salt or fresh water and travel fast would be useful, as would what I assume are the whale-like lungs–I could throw away all my inhalers. And then I could go on vacation without having to pay for a plane ticket, because anywhere with a coast would be easy to get to.