Mandy Ryan

"I completed an independent study with Dr. Galloway that directly lead to my post-graduation job and was a great way to do a “deep dive” into my interests. "

In my current role for the Archdiocese I am responsible for the records retention and destruction for 104 parishes, 8 schools, and all of the departments within the Chancery. I lead trainings on records management policies, create and maintain record retention schedules, and work with the archivist to ensure that important artifacts and papers are permanently preserved within our archives.

The archives courses at the iSchool are incredible – I highly recommend taking AE1 with Dr. Ciaran Trace and Digital Archiving with Dr. Patricia Galloway. The projects you work on for both of those classes are not just student projects, but issues and challenges that many in our profession face. As a student I was heavily involved in SAA-UT and found it to be incredible helpful both during the program and for finding jobs after graduation. I also sat on the curriculum committee, which is a fantastic way to get a glimpse into how courses are determined and what challenges our program is facing.

My advice to current or future students is to get very involved with your student organizations, especially in leadership roles. If you find that you cannot find a course that matches your interests, ask a professor to assist you in an independent study. I completed an independent study with Dr. Galloway that directly lead to my post-graduation job and was a great way to do a “deep dive” into my interests. The projects you do in your courses are serious work and you should definitely consider presenting on them at conferences (I know it seems daunting, but they are that good and definitely should be shared).