Refuge and support in the library

Early in her first semester at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Lizbeth Santibanez ’24, M.S. ’26, found peace and focus inside the walls of Carl A. Rudisill Library – then she found a job.

“I was always here in the library, and so I applied to work here in my second semester. Miss Caryn (Caryn Sumic), the library specialist who supervises all the student staff – interviewed me,” shared Santibanez. “She said, ‘You basically live here already,’ which was true. It’s a good environment, quiet and safe. You can get a lot done here.”

Working at the library also helped Santibanez, a first-generation college student, map out her future. As a graduate from an early college high school program, she enrolled at Lenoir-Rhyne as a junior, so she moved directly into coursework for her majors – exercise science and psychology – with plans to pursue a career in occupational therapy (OT).

“I didn’t know there was an OT program at Lenoir-Rhyne until I was promoted from library assistant to supervisor and got to know Rachel Hart [’22, M.A. ’24] who was the library graduate assistant working on her master’s in OT – just like I am now. She’s the one who encouraged me to apply to the OT program here,” Santibanez explained. “People at LR are always open to communicating and helping you out.”

Santibanez originally planned to go into nursing, even earning a license as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). When her grandmother formed a blood clot in her leg that led to an amputation, Santibanez found a new inspiration in the treatment team.

“I was already thinking I wanted to do something different from nursing, and I saw my grandmother working closely with occupational therapists as she recovered from her amputation. I worked closely with them to translate because my grandmother doesn’t speak English,” she shared. “I really liked the way they treated my grandmother. It inspired me.”

Now in her first semester working toward her Master of Science in occupational therapy, Santibanez also works closely with nurses and social workers in her weekend job at Iredell Davis Behavioral Health Hospital.

“Seeing the treatment approaches to mental health in my job at Davis, I’m very interested in the mental health aspects of occupational therapy, how OT approaches can inhibit progression and facilitate improvement for disorders,” Santibanez said. “I feel like I’m kind of breaking a stereotype barrier because my family doesn’t believe mental illnesses are real – and they’re such an important support group. They value what I’m doing and the example I’m setting for my siblings.”

Balancing her courseload with her hospital work, family obligations and her weekly hours as a graduate assistant has been challenging, but spending those hours on the library staff has helped make the workload manageable.

“The flexibility of my hours helps a lot because I have to manage my time really carefully,” Santibanez said. “I feel really supported and valued on this staff and on this campus. It’s very motivating and makes me feels like my goals are reachable.”