Tanner Mroz - Information & Library Science - Southern Connecticut State University Class of 2021

Tanner Mroz

Information & Library Science

Well here we are everyone, graduation. No matter where or when we started, we have all arrived to celebrate this time together. Each of us has memories (hopefully positive) that we’ll take away as we move on from SCSU with our degrees in hand. With those memories and degrees, though, I also want to add a couple of phrases that have stuck with me and hopefully with you all as well: First, “The older you get the better you get, unless you’re a banana” (Betty White); Second, “Fight for your dreams and you’re dreams will fight for you” (Daniel Bryan); Third, “Even Gwen Stefani said she couldn't doubt me” (Lil Wayne); Fourth, “They say money won’t buy happiness, but it’ll pay for the search” (Prince). Take care fellow graduating Owls and best of luck in any future endeavors, like further education, job hunting, or whatever else that puts to use all we have learned at SCSU. Lastly, we should take time to be proud of ourselves for all we have accomplished and will accomplish beyond school! :)

Favorite Time at SCSU

Lively Blackboard discussion board conversations, meeting nice students and people in the library sphere, mentoring at CfAL’s Tech4Teens, filming a book talk, and creating my own digital library.

Advice to Incoming Students

By far, my biggest piece of advice for any incoming graduate students pursuing their MLIS is to get into a rhythm with your work by using a schedule of some kind. A totally online program like this can become especially overwhelming if you try to wait to do each assignment and do not break them down into smaller, more manageable parts to complete first. Too, try to get to know some of the other students in your classes. Nice as it would be to be physically in a class interacting with your peers, the online format isn’t bad either since it gives you the chance for unique interactions. For example, my classes allowed me to chat with students from across the country that used their different backgrounds/experiences to support one another and make the material more understandable. In turn, this made the classes feel much closer to the in-person ones that I was accustomed to. Last but not least, have fun and do not lose sight of your goal. If you know where to look in the classes and on campus, there is some definite fun to be had. However, try to not get distracted too much to the point where you’re not on top of things to graduate yourself when your time comes.

Yearbook