Source: US Global Legal Monitor
In celebration of 10 years of the remote metadata internship, we are catching up with our amazing interns and volunteers from the last year. Last week, we recognized the first half of our participants from last summer’s remote metadata program and the creative digital projects program, and this week, we have the second half. The mini-biographies below were written when they worked at the Library in Summer 2025. We wish them the best as they continue in their professional careers.
Casey McKenna resides in the coastal town of Norwalk, Connecticut. She holds a B.A. in English from Saint Leo University in Florida and recently earned her Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.), along with a certificate of advanced study in information security management, from Syracuse University. With over seven years of experience in the human relations technology space, she finds fulfillment in helping job seekers refine their skills and matching them with employers looking for talented individuals. As an elected member of Phi Kappa Phi, she cherishes the opportunity to connect with fellow lifelong learners. Outside of her professional pursuits, Casey is passionate about wildlife photography, reading, and hiking, embracing the beauty of nature with every adventure.
Danny Mendoza is a future intellectual property attorney with a background spanning science, law, and education. A recent J.D. graduate from the University of Tennessee, Winston College of Law, he focuses on advocacy, business transactions, and intellectual property (IP) law. Danny will be working on his M.S. in library science from the University of North Texas and an M.B.A. in business analytics from Lincoln Memorial University this fall; he has two graduate degrees already in education. He is passionate about digital access, international IP policy, and the role of law libraries in shaping equitable innovation.
Kieran Micari-Lawless holds a B.A. in history and global studies from Bishop’s University, where he focused his studies on the social history of early modern Europe. He works at a public library in the Chicago suburbs. An advocate for expanded access to free information, he is focusing his career on advancing efforts to make all knowledge freely available to all people. He enjoys cooking, gardening, illustration, and archaeology, and would love to own a maximalist antique shop at some point in his future.
Emily Mizokami lives in Sacramento, California, holds a B.A. in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is graduating with a master’s in library and information science from San José State University in December of 2025. She is an assistant archivist at the California State Railroad Museum Library and Archives. Emily also serves as chair of the Society of American Archivists, Students and New Archives Professionals section. She has two amazing daughters and one lovely husband. When she emerges from the archives, she enjoys camping, eating out, and reading.
Irene Park is a Maryland native and M.L.I.S. candidate at the University of Maryland. She is interested in academic and research librarianship as well as library outreach and engagement. Before returning to school for her graduate degree, Irene completed a B.A. in international comparative studies at Duke University and worked in film and education. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, crafting, watching movies, and planning her next trip.
Puja Roy is a native of New York and has lived in New York City her entire life. She holds a B.Tech. in computer engineering technology from CUNY New York City College of Technology and a master’s degree in data science from CUNY School of Professional Studies. As a child, Puja began volunteering in libraries, utilizing her own second home and best childhood learning center at The New York Public Library (NYPL), one of its largest, to provide her childhood education. Later, she served as a library assistant volunteer at the NYPL and library page at the NYPL St. Agnes Branch in Midtown Manhattan. She also interned at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Other than school and work, Puja loves retro 1990s world music and is pet-friendly—doves, pigeons, sparrows, and dogs, cats, and monkeys, in particular.
Wei-Ting Shih is from Taiwan and Nicaragua. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in political science and plans to attend law school in the future. She is interested in legal research, writing, and advocacy. In her free time, Wei-Ting enjoys exploring new cafes, spending time outdoors, and rooting for the New York Yankees.
Genevieve Smiley recently completed her B.S. in economics at Bowling Green State University. She will continue to further her studies by attending the University of Alabama School of Law in the fall of 2025. In her free time, she enjoys reading, collecting vinyl, and spending time with friends.
Abigail Starcher is from New Jersey. She is a recent M.L.I.S. graduate from the University of South Florida and holds a B.A. in history from Ave Maria University. She is a returning intern and supervises public services at a law school library in Florida. Abigail’s main areas of interest in librarianship include special collections, historical research, and emerging library technology. Before working in libraries, she taught third grade on the Zuni Pueblo Reservation. In her leisure time, she enjoys spending time with her two dachshunds, landscape painting, singing in choir, reading, watching classic films, and cooking Croatian cuisine.
Ana Starr is originally from Boston but now calls D.C. home. She is currently pursuing an M.L.I.S from the University of Maryland and has a B.A. in history from Emmanuel College. She has spent the last few years working in development in healthcare and higher education. She hopes to move into library work upon graduation. In her free time, she hangs out with friends and catches up on reality TV.
Abigail Svetlik was born and raised in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the Library of Congress, where she resides today. Her early love for art and literature was fueled by the city’s network of free museums and public libraries. As an undergraduate student at Skidmore College, Abigail studied art history and English. Since graduating in May 2024, she has continued to seek ways to explore, exercise, and embrace the storytelling ability of word and image. Abigail currently works at a used bookstore, where her responsibilities include cataloging antiquarian materials, and serves as Editorial Assistant for Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics.
Devi Swamy lives in Northern California and currently works as an adjunct counselor at a community college. She holds a B.S. in psychology from the University of California, Davis, and an M.A. in counseling from Saint Mary’s College of California. She is currently completing her M.L.I.S. degree at San José State University and enjoys learning about archiving, metadata, and UX design and research. In her free time, Devi loves spending time with family, doing outdoor activities, reading, and catching up on movies and TV shows.
Jasmine Tham is an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in English. She currently works as an undergraduate research assistant conducting legal research and competes on her university’s moot court team. In her free time, she tutors kids in music and bakes the most complicated recipes she can find.
Hilary Turner lives in a suburb of Austin, Texas, and is pursuing her Master of Science degree in library science (M.S.L.S.) at the University of North Texas. She previously earned an M.B.A. and is especially interested in academic library reference services and how they support research, teaching, and access to business and government information. Hilary has experience in higher education communications and has contributed to an in-progress scholarly work on health resource sharing in public libraries. In her free time, she enjoys reading, teaching herself German, and working through a Couch to 5K running program.
Ann Marie Watson grew up in the D.C. area and remembers doing research at the Library of Congress in high school (though details of the project are hazy all these years hence). It took a long career in marketing for cultural nonprofits to rediscover a love for libraries, and two decades after earning her B.A. in history at the University of Virginia, she is now halfway through her M.L.I.S. degree at Drexel University, where she has particularly enjoyed classes in archives and metadata. Ann Marie is an avid reader, knitter, birder, a regular platelet donor, and a staunch supporter of the arts. She still lives in northern Virginia with her husband; they are currently between cats, but hopefully not for long.
Olivia Wong graduated from McGill University in 2024 with a B.A. in liberal arts combined with a minor in classics. She was previously a student project assistant at the McGill Department of Rare Books and Special Collections and currently volunteers with the Montreal Aviation Museum. She aspires to one day become an academic librarian, perhaps working with metadata! In her spare time, she enjoys reading, ice skating, and hunting for her next thrifted treasure.
Riley Yates grew up in Salinas, California, but now attends the University of Chicago, pursuing a degree in history and nonfiction creative writing with a minor in linguistics. A lifelong fan of American history, she loves sharing fun facts about our nation’s past with just about anyone who will listen. Outside of academia, Riley enjoys spin class, baking, organization, and spending time with friends and cute dogs.
Ella Young is a North Carolina native currently pursuing an M.S.L.S. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also holds a B.S. in information science. She is specializing in academic librarianship and worked as a library intern at Duke University during her undergraduate studies. This is her second semester interning at the Law Library of Congress, and she previously contributed to the Congressional Research Service bill summaries project. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, and reading.
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