Catch up with a Libraries student scholarship awardee: Frank Leo

The NC State University Libraries awards a number of part-scholarships every year to our outstanding Libraries student workers as part of our efforts to support student success and affordability. Since 2018, we've awarded 35 scholarships of varying amounts totalling $119,000. For the academic year 2022–23, philanthropic support for the Libraries Student Scholarship Fund has allowed us to support 10 of our talented students with scholarships worth $36,000 in total. This profile is one in a series that lets our scholarship winners tell their stories.

Frank Leo, a senior majoring in History and Political Science, works in the Access Services department at the Libraries. The work allows him to explore his aspiration to work in a museum or archive or remain in academia and become a professor someday.

What are your hobbies and activities outside of school?
Reading, playing video games, surfing the web.

Why did you choose to work at the Libraries? What roles have libraries played in your life in general?
I felt it would be a benefit to work at a library so I am prepared if I work at a similar location later in life, such as an archive. It is also a convenient job, as I live on campus. Libraries are a major reason why I became interested in both history and political science, my two majors, in the first place, so they have played a big role in shaping my life.

What have you been most looking forward to this school year?
I am looking forward to my classes, especially my Frauds and Mysteries of the Past class.

What do you hope to do after you graduate?
I hope to get a master’s degree specializing in a specific field of history, most likely public history, but library science is also an option. After that, I will try to pursue a profession in a field related to history in some fashion.

What have you learned through your work at the Libraries? How does your work at the Libraries support or lead into your post-graduation plans?
I have learned how to manage the time I have been given in order to complete my tasks, as well as how to operate in a proper working environment. I have also learned a great deal about how both libraries and archives function, which could serve me well if I am employed at these locations in my professional life.

How will a Libraries scholarship help you on your educational/personal path? Is there anything specific that the scholarship will enable or help you to do?
This library scholarship eases the burden that student tuition will cause me after I graduate, fueling my motivation to work hard and achieve good grades in my final semester. Getting this scholarship may also persuade me to specialize in library science when getting a master’s degree, though I am still undecided about that.

Learn more about the Libraries Student Scholarship Endowment here, and donate directly here.