Catch up with a Libraries student scholarship awardee: Ryan Shubert

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 totaling $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.

Ryan Shubert works in the Access Services department at the Libraries and is a senior majoring in Biochemistry, despite starting out in NC State’s mechanical engineering program. However he couldn’t imagine himself in that career path so, after a flirtation with plant biology, he followed a lifelong interest into forensic science. Ryan is hoping to get an internship with the North Carolina State Crime Lab.

What are your hobbies and activities outside of school?
Outside of school, I enjoy hiking and rock climbing. I'm on a trivia team with my friends, and I love watching movies.

Why did you choose to work at the Libraries? What roles have libraries played in your life in general?
I chose to work at the Libraries because I have always loved reading, and I wanted to find a job on campus that combined organizational skills and my love for books. As a kid I used to go to the local library with my family every week, so libraries have always held a special place in my heart.

What have you been most looking forward to this school year?
I am most looking forward to meeting new people and working to learn more about my major.

What do you hope to do after you graduate?
After graduation I hope to have a career in the forensic science field at the North Carolina State Crime Lab.

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?
Through the Libraries I have learned a lot about maintaining organizational standards and helping others who may not be as familiar with the library system as student workers. The work I have done at the Libraries leads into my post-graduation plans because the neatness and attention to detail I demonstrate at work will almost certainly translate into a lab setting.

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?
The Shertz Scholarship will help me on my educational and personal path by alleviating a lot of pressure that comes along with paying for college. The scholarship will help me to focus more on school and less on finances.

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