Michelle Chiles, a 2013 graduate from Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, is the 2014 recipient of the Donald Peterson Student Travel Award given by the Society of American Archivists. Established in 2005, the award supports students and recent graduates from graduate archival programs within North America to attend SAA’s Annual Meeting. The goal of the scholarship is to stimulate greater participation in the activities of the organization, such as presenting research or actively participating in an SAA-sponsored committee, section, or roundtable.
As a founding member and former co-chair of the New England Archivists’ (NEA) Roundtable for Early Professionals and Students (REPS), Chiles helped implement a pilot mentoring circles program. Chiles will be sharing her perspectives at the Joint Annual Meeting during the session “A Push in the Right Direction: Expanding Models of Mentorship.”
One supporter noted that Chiles consistently “push[es] the profession forward and advocate[s] for students and new professionals in the archival profession. In particular, her work with REPS . . . [has pushed] NEA to recognize and address the concerns of new professionals and students.”
The Donald Peterson Student Travel Award was established in 2005 and honors the memory of New York lawyer and philatelist Donald Peterson