Meet Atla Diversity Scholarship Recipient Yahm Levin

We are excited to introduce Yahm Levin as the first of three recipients of the Atla Diversity Scholarship for 2020-2021! Yahm is currently pursuing her MLIS at the University of Alabama online. She also holds a BA in American Studies and Women & Gender Studies from Tel Aviv University, and an MA in American Studies from the University of Alabama. Her main areas of interest are digital stewardship, digital humanities, and anything metadata-related.

“When I began my MLIS degree, I assumed that I would focus more on reference services, but I’ve become quite passionate about the tech side of librarianship,” Yahm told us. After completing her degree, Yahm hopes to work at an academic or special library, supporting and creating new projects in the digital humanities. She is subscribed to several Atla listservs and hopes to attend the upcoming Atla Annual 2022 conference. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, manual arts, and (of course) reading. 

Being consciously aware of my minority status fuels a sense of compassion for other people who are part of minority groups and challenges me to create inclusive spaces everywhere I go.

When asked what being a Diversity Scholar means to her, Yahm said, “When I started the MLIS program, I really didn’t know much about librarianship except that it was a great way to be a lifelong learner and organize information. As I learned more, I realized that there is a unique space for the knowledge I bring and embody as a Jewish person. The Jewish tradition of questioning everything means that I don’t shy away from dialogue about the status quo, which is crucial for challenging outdated policies and finding creative solutions to contemporary problems. Moreover, I often find myself to be the only Jewish person in the room unless I seek out specifically Jewish spaces. Being consciously aware of my minority status fuels a sense of compassion for other people who are part of minority groups and challenges me to create inclusive spaces everywhere I go.”

Please join us in congratulating Yahm on being an Atla Diversity Scholar for 2020-2021!

Learn more about the Diversity Scholarship and how the generous donations to the Scholarships & Grants Annual Fund make this scholarship possible.