July 2022 - Curiosity Cruiser

curiosity cruiser team in front of the curiosity cruiser truck

As we are fast approaching summer, the Curiosity Cruiser is staying busy and will be visiting quite a few sites this year. We’ll need all hands-on deck, so why not meet the team while you are here? These fantastic people are what makes the Curiosity Cruiser tick, and they bring wonderful insight and experience to enrich our communities and bring library services every where we are needed. Who knows, you may even see a few friendly faces out at our stops this summer!

With out further ado, here’s our team!

I’m Kelly H. and I am the leader of this silly, fun mobile library program. I have been working on the Cruiser going on three years now. A lot of that time was during the pandemic when we were giving out books at food drives and not doing the fun in-person programming like story times and STEM experiments and coding, so I am glad to be back at community centers, apartment complexes, parks, schools, and events.
I decided to apply to work on the Curiosity Cruiser because it sounded like a fun job to be able to work with kids. I had worked as a third-grade teacher before going to grad school and I wanted to get back to having fun again.
My favorite part about working on the cruiser has changed a lot. At first it was helping kids put together all of the weird kits that we have. Then it was developing programs like Virtual Reality, 3d modeling, and 3d printing. Now I would say that my favorite part is story time. I love reading aloud and entertaining kids with silly voices to make books come alive!

My name is Dominique Reed and I am a Mobile Outreach Specialist Lead- Coordinator. I have been on the cruiser team since February 2022. I decided I wanted to be apart of this team when I read the description upon applying for the position on Harris County’s website. When I found out that we would be going out into the community promoting literacy and academia I was elated! I come from education and I am an educator and student at heart.
My upmost passion is to encourage learning in everyone I encounter because knowledge is a powerful tool to have. A fun fact about me is that I have a Thespians heart and I love all things artsy!

Hello, I’m Katie, a Mobile Outreach Specialist and a Cruiser Team Blogger. I’ve been with The Curiosity Cruiser for about a year and half now and have worked with libraries for over six years.
I first joined because the program fascinated me, and it has given me much fulfilment in the last year. My favorite part about the Curiosity Cruiser is being able to reach those communities where children need books and seeing their faces light up when they find one they like, or playing with tech they might not otherwise have seen, is amazing to be a part of.
We have many great upcoming opportunities that I can’t wait to share with you all!

Hi everyone! I’m Marrisa and I work with the Curiosity Cruiser as a Mobile Outreach Specialist and part of the blogger crew here. I joined the team back in July 2021 and have had a fantastic time.
I applied to the team because I wanted to make an impactful difference with our community and interact with children that need services such as a Library! It has been a wonderful time and I enjoy every second of my job.
My favorite parts about being on the cruiser are interreacting with children who have so much enthusiasm and spirit for STEM and Literacy. Each day is never the same, and I end up having just as much fun learning with our communities as they do. Making connections with each child and learning more about them and their interests helps me suggest the perfect book to get them excited about reading. Fun fact about myself is that I love reading manga and graphic novels!

Hi! My name is Jason, I am a Mobile Outreach Specialist with the Curiosity Cruiser. I have been on the team for 6 months now and I have enjoyed every minute. I chose the Cruiser team because I believed it would be a new and exciting challenge, and it is. It’s also extremely rewarding.
As part of the cruiser team I get to go all over the county to bring literacy and STEM programming, as well as free books, to children in various areas of need. Meeting these children, and being able to connect with them through a shared love of books is just one of my favorite parts of working with this team.

I’m Logan, I have been working with the Curiosity Cruiser as a Mobile Outreach Specialist since August 2021. My background is in education, and I am currently on my way to completing my Masters in Library Science. I joined the Curiosity Cruiser to assist and uplift our Harris County communities by promoting literacy and using my teaching experience to significantly impact kids. Outside of Cruiser Crew duties, I am involved I have hosted, edited, and produced a few of HCPL’s podcast episodes and have published two interview blogs on HCPL’s website.
My favorite part of working on the cruiser is getting to talk to kids about their favorite books. Not only is this important in figuring out what book to recommend, but it also is fun to get excited with someone about something they enjoy, especially if it’s something you have in common! Another favorite of mine is getting to perform book read aloud, especially when the book is funny and interactive. It’s amazing when you can get a whole auditorium on their feet to move and laugh!

I’m Bryan K.
I am the Manager of Outreach Services for Harris County Public Library, which includes the Vehicle Outreach and Curiosity Cruiser teams. I have been leading outreach for HCPL since 2018. In addition to managing Vehicle Outreach I also manager our Juvenile Probation Library Specialist team, our Mobile Outreach Librarian team and large outreach events for the system. My favorite part about working on the cruiser is getting the right book to the right child. When you can make the perfect match, they are very excited and it’s nice to know that we’re helping them learn a love of reading.

Welcome to the Curiosity Cruiser! My name is Leslie, and I’ve been a part of the Cruiser team for 2 years. You may have seen all over Harris County, from Tomball to Pasadena! I decided to join the crew because of its impressive outreach work–bringing library resources to patrons all across the county.
My favorite part of any event, is when I can help a kid choose a book they’re genuinely excited about. A fun fact about me is that I have climbed to the top of a pyramid.