I was 14 years old, shelving books in the 741 non-fiction section as a Library Page at Mountain View Public Library and I made a promise to myself that I'd never become a librarian. What I tried to avoid became my life's passion.

I've been a Children's Librarian for five years at the Palo Alto City Library and I absolutely love my job. The most rewarding part of my job is creating library programs in partnership with local corporations that attract non-library users. The biggest inspiration for children's programming comes from my love affair for trashy reality shows, my frequent lunch break visits to OMG.com to find out the latest celebrity gossip, and pop culture. I've hosted four years of Reverse American Idol where we search for the worst kid singer in Palo Alto (and yes, we've been successful all four years) and two years of the Library's Got Talent competition where we have crowned two winners who have moved on to bigger and better venues outside the library. The highlight of my career came recently when I worked with the San Francisco Giants organization and Gordon Biersch and hosted the Giants Replay Day. We replayed the 2010 World Series and raffled off a $50 Giants Dugout gift card and an Aubrey Huff autographed baseball!

If I'm not in the library, you can probably catch me at an ALA conference. I'm currently on the 2012 Geisel Book Award Committee, served on the 2011 ALA Nominating Committee, and was a 2009 ALA Emerging Leader. In my spare time, I also work as an Outreach Specialist for the El Camino Hospital Health and Resource Library.

I often get asked by my "kiddie" customers, "What is the one thing that you love about being a Children's Librarian?" The answer is simple; I love to interact with people. I know that Eureka will provide me the opportunity to interact with some amazing California Librarians. I hope to develop leadership skills, learn from other Eureka members, and be inspired to do more!