Every year, Jefferson County Public Library honors one very special individual as our Library Volunteer of the Year — someone who embodies JCPL's mission, vision and values.
Congratulations to Izzy, JCPL's 2024 Volunteer of the Year!
Izzy is a member of the Standley Lake Teen Advisory Board (TAB) and has participated in many JCPL programs, such as the Youth Development Program and the TAB Summit.
"It is my sincere honor to nominate Izzy for the 2024 Volunteer of the Year," Teen Librarian Meagan says. "Izzy comes to almost every TAB meeting and teen program at Standley Lake and even makes an effort to attend and support teen programs at our other locations. On top of that, she helps out with all kinds of projects that pop up throughout the year. She has shown a great amount of dedication to TAB and to her community from the get-go and has set a solid example for other teen volunteers to follow."
"I started out needing to do volunteer hours for a leadership class in eighth grade," Izzy explains. "I wasn't sure where I could do that since I was only 13, but my sister has always been connected to the Library and suggested TAB. I reached out to Meagan, and immediately, she invited me to come to a meeting. It really started from there!
'I'm just a people person.'
One of the qualities that sets Izzy apart is her creativity and enthusiasm to contribute to JCPL.
"Izzy came up with an idea to recognize and showcase her fellow TAB members at Standley Lake by designing and creating button badges for them to use in programs and volunteer events," Meagan explains. "The badges she created for Standley Lake's TAB serve as a physical representation of the welcoming and inclusive nature that I value and try to instill in my TAB, and anyone who has met Izzy would not be surprised to learn that the idea for the badges came from her. She is one of the kindest and most compassionate teens I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."
Kindness and inclusivity are two of Izzy's core traits. If a new TAB member is feeling shy or nervous, Izzy will always be the one to approach them and start a conversation to make them feel welcome.
"I try to go up and talk to people even if it's awkward at first," Izzy says. "Even if we don't really have anything to say, it makes them feel more comfortable, and then they at least know one person."
Izzy also makes new high schoolers feel welcomed as part of her school's Link Crew, a program that pairs upperclassmen with incoming freshmen.
"I really didn't think I made a big impact until I saw a couple of freshmen in the hallway, and they said they had a lot of fun hanging out with Link Crew," Izzy says. "One girl even asked me for help talking to a teacher because she was nervous. I was like, 'I got you!'"
Izzy also participated in JCPL's Youth Development Program, an eight-week training program that combines classroom learning with a final project to build leadership, communication and project planning skills. At the culmination of the program, high schoolers present their project proposal to Library management and other civic leaders.
"The program really influenced how I work. I learned how to speak to big groups, how to present myself better, and how to be more prepared," she says. "I also learned how to talk to my audience so I could change things up if I was presenting to kids, other teens or adults. I love talking to people of all ages. I'm just a people person."
Outside of school and her volunteer work, Izzy keeps busy by making jewelry, which she learned from her mom. She also loves listening to music.
"Any time I can listen to music, I do," she says. "In the shower, cleaning, doing homework — although I do get a little distracted by dancing instead of doing homework."
"I also love binge-watching TV," she says, highlighting romcoms and staples from the 2000s alongside a few new releases. "'The Umbrella Academy,' 'The Summer I Turned Pretty,' 'The Handmaid's Tale,' 'Ozark' and 'Two Broke Girls' are all my top shows right now!"
Izzy is a prolific reader and recommends "You've Reached Sam" by Dustin Thao, the "What If It's Us" series by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera and "The Summer I Turned Pretty" series by Jenny Han.
'I judge a book by its cover — in a good way!'
Izzy often helps select books and movies for the teen display at Standley Lake.
"Reading the back cover of a book has to hold my attention, and then I read a couple of random pages. Sometimes, I judge a book by its cover — in a good way!" Izzy laughs. "Sometimes I like when there's a picture of the main characters, but I also like being able to imagine what the characters look like."
Izzy's love of language, learning and communication extends to her future career plans as well.
"I want to major in foreign language and be a translator," she explains. "Some people just take four years of a foreign language in high school and then forget about it, but I want to remember it and learn more."
A junior, Izzy is deep into preparing for college by taking AP classes and building experience for her resume. She hopes her work at JCPL will help her in her future goals.
"After being in TAB, I've gotten really good at making itineraries and plans," she says. "Sometimes you think 10 minutes is a really long time, but when you're actually doing an activity, it flies by — so I've gotten really good at figuring out how much time different things need and how to plan an event."
Beyond just preparing for a program, Izzy will often come early to help the librarian set up, show other teens what the activity or project is and then stay to help clean up, all without being asked. She is often the key to a program's success!
Izzy's strong work ethic, kindness and innovation are three of the traits that helped her achieve the honor of being JCPL's Volunteer of the Year.
Thank you so much for volunteering your time at JCPL, Izzy!
