Our Team
Adylenne Ascencio
MLIS Student, University of Washington
Contact:
ascena1@uw.edu
adylenne.ascencio@gmail.com
Addy’s Story
Adylenne (or Addy) was born in Los Angeles, California and later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she calls home. She is Mexican-American, with ancestral tribal roots unknown to her. From conversations with her mamá y abuelos, she knows that her family has lived in Guadalajara for centuries, yet they have lost the connection to their native ancestry due to colonialism and nationalism in Mexico, which has led to the erasure of indigenous communities. Through ancestral and genealogy research, Addy will work on learning more about her ancestry in the future.
Addy completed her Bachelor of Art’s in English literature with a minor in Creative Writing at the University of Las Vegas Nevada (UNLV). At the University of Washington, while earning her MLIS, her studies have focused on children and youth services, reference, collection development, and community engagement. After graduation, she plans to move to Colorado and begin working as an Adult Services Librarian at the Montrose Regional Library District.
Rachel Kresl
MLIS Student, University of Washington
Contact: rkresl@uw.edu
rmkresl@seattleschools.org
Rachel’s Story
Rachel was born and raised in the Four Corners area of New Mexico. Their vision for the Native Voices Capstone project began after hearing stories from their Diné grandmother about being forced to residential school and forbidden to speak her native language. Rachel completed their bachelor’s degree in Art Education with an emphasis in drawing at Adams State University and made their way to Seattle, Washington soon after. They are currently in their last quarter as a master’s student for Library and Information Science at the University of Washington with an interest in children’s and youth services. After graduation, they plan on staying in Seattle and continuing to work as the resource librarian for the Native American Education department in Seattle Public Schools.
Joshua Allen
MLIS Student, University of Washington
Contact:
jallen11@uw.edu
musicinme1992@gmail.com
Josh’s Story
Josh was born in Leicester, Massachusetts and grew up in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. He has lived in Utah, France, Belgium, and Washington. He grew up in a close-knit family with four other siblings. Josh joined the Native Voices/PNW Native Collection Capstone in the 2021/2022 academic year at the University of Washington. Having studied under Sandy Littletree previously, he was drawn to the idea of collecting films for the collection and working with the current team to update the map with new resources.
Josh received his Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts Studies (Film) from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. He hopes to combine his love of filmmaking and librarianship throughout his career. Josh’s studies in the MLIS program at the University of Washington have been centered on public librarianship, adult reader services, and storytelling.
Diana Palacio
MLIS Student, University of Washington
Contact: palaciod@uw.edu
dianalorrainepalacio@gmail.com
Diana’s Story
Diana was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada after her parents moved from Colombia. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in biology with a concentration in ecology and evolution from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Diana is finishing the last quarter of her Master's and recently interned for the Diverse BookFinder. After graduation, Diana plans to continue pursuing a career in public librarianship in Las Vegas. Diana felt inspired to join the team after watching Addy and Rachel present their Capstone. PNW Native Collection is an important resource and Diana hopes future Capstone students continue to add more titles to the collection.
Sandy Littletree - Capstone Sponsor
“Sandy Littletree (she/her) is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Washington Information School. She is a scholar and Indigenous librarian focused on the intersections of Indigenous systems of knowledge and the LIS (library and information science) field. She is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Diné) from her father’s side, and is Eastern Shoshone from her mother’s side.” - sandylittletree.net