2011-2012 Luce Scholar

Daisy Larios grew up in Inglewood, California as the child of Mexican immigrant parents. Despite her parents’ lack of formal education, their frequent trips to the public library during her childhood not only instilled in her a love for books and learning, but also a lifelong passion for libraries themselves, which she has turned into a promising career. She currently works as the Career & Information Services Library Assistant for Drexel University’s Hagerty Library, where she also co-founded the LibVid Awards blog with her colleagues. She will complete her Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree in June 2011 from Drexel’s iSchool. Daisy was selected as a 2009 Spectrum Scholar by the American Library Association, and is currently organizing an upcoming fundraiser for the Spectrum Scholarship program. Daisy came to libraries by way of the Mellon Library Recruitment Program, a grant-funded program that awarded her an undergraduate internship experience, a Post-baccalaureate Fellow position at Swarthmore College, and a Graduate School Scholarship. Her Bachelor of Arts in History from Occidental College impressed upon her the importance of documenting, preserving, and providing access to the vast wealth of recorded human knowledge and experiences, especially those of underrepresented voices. Her experience in the Getty Multicultural Internship Program after her sophomore year of college also provided an initial entryway into the world of museums, libraries, and archives. During college, Daisy spent a semester abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, where she fell in love with South African music and dance. Apart from her work in libraries, Daisy enjoys photography, dance, DJing, and exploring her family’s genealogy.