Josephine Forman Scholarship: Ashley Flores

Ashley Flores is the 2019 recipient of the Josephine Forman Scholarship sponsored by the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church, in cooperation with the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The $10,000 scholarship provides financial support to minority students pursuing graduate education in archival science, encourages students to pursue careers as archivists, and promotes the diversification of the American archives profession.

Flores, an MLIS student specializing in archival studies at the University of California, Los Angeles has worked in the University Archives and Manuscripts Department at Hamilton Library at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa as well as the African American Diversity Cultural Center Hawaii. Additionally, she has done research at the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum. Each positon has influenced her understanding of the many functions of archives and the services it provides for the public.

Her research interests include working with indigenous peoples to create inclusive, pluralistic, and accessible archives spaces. Her recommenders write of the "tremendous passion" she brings to her studies and that she is "highly conscientious and hardworking with attention to detail." As an archivist, Flores, would like to help people who feel underrepresented, using archives to bring communities and histories together.