Alexsandra Mitchell is a rising star librarian for Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, one of the leading research institutions focused on African-American experiences, African Diaspora experiences, and African experiences. “To say I enjoy working at the Schomburg Center would be an understatement,” says Alexsandra. “It’s my dream job!”
With master’s degrees in Africana Studies and Library Science, Alexsandra is well-suited for the position. She joined GSAS because of the unique opportunity to pursue her dual master’s degrees, and also because she had fallen in love with New York during her time as a Schomburg Mellon Summer Humanities Institute Scholar in 2009. She knew GSAS would be a perfect fit for her academically and creatively–it proved to be just that. “I grew tremendously as a scholar by studying with GSAS professors such as Deb Willis and Juan Flores. Their courses introduced me to new bodies of work that have heavily influenced my ways of thinking and view of the world.”
In the spring of 2013, Alexsandra flourished, as she connected with fellow artists and scholars at the Black Portraiture Conference in Paris, a thesis research trip to Havana, and the 2013 GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge. Alexsandra won the academic championship with her presentation on the musical ties between the Afro-Cuban, Afro-Puerto Rican, and African American communities of New York City and Cuba between 1940 and 1960. “It was such a special time in my life.”
Now at the Schomberg Center, Alexsandra is able to utilize her research and support the continued growth of their archives. She has also created a podcast called Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence, which shares fascinating correspondence from or to important historical figures from the African Diaspora. “I wake up every day excited to get to work. I am in love with my position.” Alexsandra is currently completing her first book project, co-authored with fellow GSAS alumna Megan Goins-Diouf, as well as a children’s book.
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