Lindsay Armbruster ’23
As a middle school health teacher for 15 years, Lindsay Armbruster began to feel she was at a crossroads in her career. She explained that her favorite aspect of health education was information literacy related to health topics. When BOCES presented a scholarship opportunity for the library media program at Fisher, she knew she discovered her next step.
Armbruster now works as an educational technology librarian at a virtual school. She credits the program at Fisher for equipping her for this role as she was able to gain certification as a school library media specialist, an educational technology specialist, and for public librarianship. “The connections that I made with practicing librarians and my classmates was a huge component of my success.”
She recommends the program to others looking to advance or pivot in their career. “I gush about this program every day to practicing teachers,” said Armbruster. “It is an intense program but there is so much choice built into it regarding the books that you read and the learning tasks that you complete that the work is useful and practical and taps into your own personalized interests.”
Brian Cheng ’24
Library Media Specialist, New York City Public Schools
As a classroom teacher primarily working with English language learners, Brian Cheng says he never envisioned a career as a school librarian until he realized that the role is a perfect blend of teaching media literacy and sharing resources with students and peers. “I love teaching and didn’t want to move away from that, but school librarians have a unique opportunity to teach students lifelong skills and inspire a sense of curiosity in them.”
Fisher’s program first helped him realize how becoming a school librarian perfectly fit his skills and interests. Then, Cheng explained, it prepared him to succeed as a school librarian. “Every course at Fisher helped develop the skills and knowledge I needed to be a successful school librarian.”
He further described the connections and networking opportunities of the virtual program as some of the most beneficial experiences during his program. “I was taking classes with people rather than simply submitting assignments for a professor to grade.”
Cheng recommends the program as an opportunity to grow as an educator through the mentorship and support of the program’s highly credentialed professionals in the field. “It was the most supportive educational experience I have ever received. The professors are all practicing librarians and want you to succeed.”
Elizabeth Mazzullo ’22
Teacher and Library Media Specialist
As an educator in New York City, Elizabeth Mazzullo considered pursuing certification as a library media specialist to better serve her students. She was attracted to Fisher’s program because of the flexibility and convenience of online learning. “I was able to complete my master’s degree while teaching both high school and graduate-level courses.”
As a teacher and library media specialist, Mazzullo guides students through the research process. She believes the M.S. in Library Media helped her strengthen her skills in supporting student research. “This program helped me create more lessons that incorporate inquiry and lead to authentic student learning.”
She explained that her Fisher professors made themselves available to support students in their learning, and she appreciated their professional backgrounds as educators. “They have worked in the field so they often provided real-world connections with the course content.”
Mazzullo attributes her success in her current role to skills she enhanced through the cohort model of the library media specialist program. “Though the program was only one year, I learned so many skills and strategies to add to my teaching toolkit while interacting with other educators throughout the state.”