CUSD 50 Staff Spotlight: Catherine Gallagher, Library Media Specialist at Harvard Junior High🌟
"I grew up in Mundelein, IL, and attended Fremont School District 79 and Mundelein High School (Go Wildcats and Mustangs!). During my junior year of high school, my dad got a new job in Columbus, OH, so I finished high school out there and attended Otterbein University, where I double majored in Studio Art and Art History, and earned a Minor in Spanish/Latin American Studies. After college graduation, I headed straight to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I initially pursued two masters degrees in Library Science and Art History because I thought I wanted to work in art museum education. However, I fell quickly in love with my library science courses and knew I wanted to be a librarian for my career! Most recently, I completed graduate-level coursework from The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in Media Literacy Studies for grades Pre-K-12 (2023), and earned additional PEL endorsements in ESL Teacher Education and Bilingual Education (Spanish) Teacher from National-Louis University in 2025."
"I am happily finishing my sixth school year as a librarian at the junior high! As a kid, I always loved to read and visit the public library with my family to get new books. Graduate school helped me realize I could be a librarian because my classes exposed me to different types of librarianship (academic, public, schools, archives), issues people face when accessing information, and how I could break down barriers so people have more equitable access to diverse information/resources. I have two cousins that are special education teachers and my mom is an administrative secretary at a school, so I’d say they all inspired me to work in a school. While at UNC, I completed a semester-long field experience at a middle school, which inspired me to look for junior high jobs. At this age, students are becoming more independent, figuring out who they are, and who they want to be. It’s an exciting time!"
"What I love most about working as a school librarian is connecting students with books that they can see themselves reflected in, and helping them learn how to evaluate information in order to build their critical thinking skills and become more confident, empathetic, and patient with themselves/others. It’s important to me that all students can see themselves reflected in the books we have, and feel valued/included in our library space. Especially with tools like AI becoming more commonplace, I believe all students should know how to analyze the information they come across in order to make responsible, informed choices that are best for them."
"What I love about the Harvard School District is the fact that we are a smaller school district but we have a big heart and lots of personality! I love our linguistic and cultural diversity, and being able to use my Spanish skills with students everyday. At the junior high, I think all of us truly care about our students and that’s what makes it a great place to be because students feel seen and cared for. Also, building close relationships with my coworkers over the years makes coming to work feel like visiting family."
"Find an outlet for you to relieve stress, anxiety, or unhappiness, so you can be your best self when you get to work. Outlets could be exercise, meditation, gratitude lists, saying prayers, etc. Getting a “happy boost” from exercise really helps set my tone for the day, and I feel more in control of my day when I make sure to have “me time” before work. Life is too short to be grumpy!"