Mosaic Scholarship: Maria E. Sánchez-Tucker

Maria E. Sánchez-Tucker, a master’s student in the Library and Information Science program at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM), is a 2014 recipient of the Mosaic Scholarship. The Mosaic Scholarship provides funding to students who demonstrate potential for scholastic and personal achievement and who manifest a commitment both to the archival profession and to advancing diversity concerns within it.

Prior to attending UWM, Sánchez-Tucker earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in museum science from Texas Tech University. Sánchez-Tucker took on the challenging position as the founding and executive director of the Bessemer Historical Society (BHS) in Pueblo, Colorado, a historical society that focused on the preservation of a large corporate archives and historic complex. While working at BHS, Sánchez-Tucker raised $6.5 million to renovate an historic building so it could become the Steelworks Museum and Archives. She later went on to work as the manager of the Special Collections and Western History Department and InfoZone News Museum, where she was responsible for developing a digitization program.

“[Sánchez-Tucker] actively promotes diversity both in and out of the workplace—in programming, collections, and personal commitment to local organizations,” wrote one supporter. “As a Pueblo native, she has deep ties to the community, which puts her in a unique position to foster active collaborations between community groups and the library to promote better understanding and appreciation for diversity.”

First awarded in 2009, the Mosaic Scholarship also provides recipients with a one-year membership in the Society of American Archivists and a complimentary registration to the 2014 Joint Annual Meeting. Rebecca Nieto, a graduate student at McGill University, is also a 2014 recipient of the Mosaic Scholarship.