By SABRINA ZIZO / Community Columnist

The Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement Department at the University of Montevallo selects 25 UM students for the Falcon Scholar in Action program each year. Students are placed to serve at agencies around the community for three semesters.

The agencies benefit from getting a young professional to provide fresh ideas and hard work, while the student is able to gain experience in unique organizations, such as the ones that are partnered with the Falcon Scholar in Action program.

Cassie Blair, a senior in the History Department, was placed in the Shelby County Museum and Archives. Her work involves digitizing some of the county’s oldest and most historic record books.

Her main project has been organizing 18 years’ worth of school census records.

“First, I combine the white and colored records and organize them by year, then alphabetically,” Blair said of the process. “School census records are a wealth of information. Once they are digitized and indexed, the museum will have them available for everyone to use as a research tool. I have learned that these projects are ongoing and long-term, but the impact will be incredible and well worth all the work.”

Falcon Scholars work to make an impact in Shelby County. While doing this, they are able to get a lot back in return.

“Being a part of FSIA has given me a broader idea of what working in an archive is like; it has given me more confidence in my ability to become an Archivist,” Blair said of what she has received from FSIA. “It has also helped me understand the importance of community Archives.”