Jude is the Transfer Student Success Fellow at Atkins Library. They are currently an MLIS student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and work as a reference student assistant at College Library. They graduated with a BA from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where they studied political economy, social justice education, and disability studies.
In Olympia they organized Queer Rock Camp -- the world’s first music camp for LGBTQ youth, eventually expanding the program into Seattle (now called the Queer & Trans Youth Music Project). During their time in the Pacific Northwest they also worked with LGBTQ teens as a peer social justice educator, and as a support group facilitator in local high schools. They have previously worked with people experiencing homelessness, young families, and immigrant youth. They first became interested in librarianship after witnessing the transformative impact of public libraries on the lives of young people in their community, and they see libraries as uniquely positioned to provide resources to underserved populations. They are passionate about the liberatory potential of libraries, and are looking forward to supporting Atkins Library in contributing to transfer student success.