Tonia Schneider, MSI ‘08
Records Management Specialist, Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems
Washington, D.C.

Before SI

Before coming to SI, Tonia earned a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish from the University of Minnesota. She also worked toward a master’s degree in history from Western Michigan University before deciding to pursue an MSI degree.

Tonia’s SI experience

While Tonia was studying at SI, she interned for the Hatcher Map Library and for the Buhr Conservation Facility at the University of Michigan. Tonia was also very actively involved in Alternative Spring Break at SI, interning at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., for three years. Although her internships are not very relevant to her current career, the skills and experience she gained from them are transferable to any career path.

“The courses and technical skills that I received from SI were definitely the most valuable aspect so far for my career success. I use these skills every day at my company as I develop nuclear records policies and procedures.”

After SI

After graduating from SI, Tonia took a records management consultant lead position with Dana Star Professional Services, LLC, where she worked on a contractual project to digitize Safeguard Information documents into an electronic database. She currently works as a QA records specialist for Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Services where she helps to develop the QA electronic records management program. Tonia says that her education at SI was an invaluable part of her career success in records management.

“SI is one of the only schools to teach …that to be a records manager, you must also be an archivist and a librarian," she says. "This is something that is essential in the field of ARM and very few schools have come to understand this. The skills learned are practical, real and easily transferrable to the real world.”