Prism is a scholarship created through a joint effort between AVIXA and HETMA, targeted at underrepresented populations in higher ed AV. The first cohort of 10 was selected in 2022. Benefits of the scholarship include a one-year Elite membership to AVIXA, the cost of taking the CTS exam and a virtual prep course, a personal mentor, networking opportunities, and a free trip to InfoComm. New cohorts have happened annually since then, giving a boost to numerous careers. This series spotlights a different recipient each month to explore the Prism process and how things have gone since their participation in the program.
About You & Your Work
To start, tell us who you are and what you do. How did your path lead into higher-ed AV?
I am Ann Kelly, CTS, Supervisor for the Engineering and Installation team at UCLA Digital Spaces. In a nutshell, the projects the Digital Spaces Solutions division handles, my team installs or oversees the work and manages the repairs and maintenance on the classrooms and other spaces under our purview.
I think my beginning is like many, tripping into higher education because some aspects of live events that seemed applicable. I worked in special events for years, first as an Account Executive for a trade show and decorating company, and then for a staging/audio/lighting/AV company right after. My kids were little, and the days in the office, night gigs, and weekend work, started to really add up to things I was starting to miss at home.
Then I answered an ad in the newspaper for an A/V events/night class support position with a few weekends pre-planned. It concentrated on a fixed schedule and my office wasn’t mobile. It was just about a mile from my house, and the savings in day care and gas felt like a monumental pay raise. It’s been 20 years since my first interview for that role, and it feels like just yesterday.
What does a typical day in your role look like—and what does a “busy day” look like when everything hits at once?
My day starts early AM, checking on the classroom startup. What’s not behaving and needs attention, any notes that came from the night staff that need a look over, and figuring if we must divert any timelines. The first class is our deadline.
My staff is phenomenal at looking ahead for the best plan to keep a room functioning and finding that break in classes to finish a small detail. They do this with a volume and spread of acreage at a campus that is more like a small city, with spare space to relocate classes often not an option.
Keeping the faculty’s lesson plan on target means keeping an agility in executing repairs. The mornings fly by. I can get into research or prep time and see what’s coming down the pipeline.
Outside of work, how do you unwind and recharge?
People actually have hobbies, outside of work? Living on two different sides of the US, finding the things I can hit on either side. Kayaking is a favorite, hiking in a park, or really roughing it for a weekend. Both the Buffalo, NY, and the Los Angeles, CA, areas have easy access to both.
My house still has most of my collection of crafting tools. My oldest son is keeping up my gardens and adding his own take on it. Getting dirt under my nails every time I’m home keeps me busy, planning the next season.
The Road to Prism
When were you selected as a Prism Scholarship recipient?
I was the inaugural class, 2022/2023. It came at an interesting time, when budgets were still extremely tight from COVID; travel and using funding for continuing education was not opened back up by that point. The best conversation I had with my CIO at the time was based on the importance of following practices and standards for creating solid spaces. She had been at a large institution where most AV staff had some certification, either manufacturer‑based or AVIXA/CTS.
I had been chipping away at what I could do for free, but the CTS felt so out of reach between the cost of the exam, the fear of not passing the first time, the time needed to dive in to do it well, and trying to balance that with what I was balancing, just the office being what it was.
The post about the scholarship provided solutions to everything I was trying to balance: the courses, the study group, the funding of the book and exam. My first pass at the essay exceeded the word limit by four times the recommended word count. I did edit it down to only twice the allotted word count. Taking that chance, with support and different options for learning, felt a little naked, actually.
What motivated you to apply—was there someone who encouraged you, or was it an internal push?
I believe I had left a meeting where I had to justify a budget I was submitting with a backhand statement of, “What happened to just going to Radio Shack, can’t you do it cheaper by…?” I had the feeling of being marginalized for trying to explain investment versus band‑aid, for the third time that week. It was wondering what else I needed to prove I knew my craft. It was a last straw moment for me.
What was happening in your career or life that made Prism feel like the right next step?
Perspective of that year: COVID habits were waning, spending still was cautious, many of us were wearing hats of many roles, and I had to create an image of the general classroom to include hybrid/hyflex features.
This would have been the third time flipping rooms top to bottom over my span. My first year, I was loading them in with composite lines and DVD players, and the last was more about BYOD and capturing or streaming.
Living in the shadows of a major research institution, comparisons between facilities are always very apparent, but what the staff have, in and of themselves, should also be part of it. It also meant, in speaking the language of manufacturers and vendors, I would be representing my institution with depth and understanding, possibly making it easier for a working relationship all around.
How did you feel when you got the news, and who did you share it with first? Why?
I told my CIO first; she was always supportive in this. She made sure I was able to travel to my first InfoComm and a regional EDUCAUSE. I had the feeling that all that work, for years, was a stepping stone.
Inside the Scholarship Experience
What did you enjoy most about the Prism experience?
There was instant camaraderie, getting that copy of the hardcover book, and having something special at that year’s conference in meeting others at the banquet. It wasn’t a quick few classes and go take the test; there was time to be busy with our day jobs and pause if needed.
What proved most challenging, and how did you work through it?
My dyslexia – formulas, the wrong formulas for a math question, or the right combination of letters for things, but then getting jumbled expressing them. I have that odd layering of remembering: where I was when I read something, how sunny it was that day(or snowing), how many phone calls interrupted me….but what was on the page that I needed to remember when I was trying to read it? THAT. Give that a name, and try to study for something like the CTS with many facets.
To make it through, I used repetition, flash cards, and sectioning. All CTS/ANP study guides have a glossary. I started there for open book, then worked my way from start to finish.
Any study or memorization approaches you found especially effective and would recommend to others?
Start at the hardest, most complicated thing for yourself. That could mean many different things for different people, but keep repeating that in little doses like an actor learning a script. Is it video ratios, project management, or drafting symbols? Repetition worked for me when things could be broken into small, digestible, 10‑minute refreshers.
Fortify the hard times by reviewing something you do know, a little dopamine boost. Those sections will reflect the things that are mastered every time you check in with your mentor. Share with your cohort, maybe vent, and use that time wisely. Always ask for help.
Certification Status & Outcomes
Where are you right now in your CTS journey?
Keeping up with my required RU for renewal and studying for my CTS‑I, as I am trying to fit that in there this InfoComm. My days have been full, but my book is full of Post‑it notes for review.
If you’ve earned your CTS, what impact has it had on your confidence, opportunities, or day‑to‑day work?
I’ve moved twice in less than five years, applying for the bigger things I wouldn’t have dared to dream about prior. No matter how I would spin my experience, I felt this benchmark would prove that my depth of knowledge and understanding was relevant from small to large institutions. For those trying to understand what I would be coming in with as base knowledge, the CTS does just that.
Growth, Community & Professional Trajectory
Looking back, which accomplishments or moments in your career are you most proud of? Any current project you’re excited about?
My circle of people has stayed very reachable, as a point of reference or technical colleague. I have faculty I’ve stayed friends with, who maybe would have never been in the same circles, but we worked together on a project or with their students. I’m very proud of that.
How have communities like HETMA, AVIXA, or other higher‑ed groups influenced your growth or opened doors?
HETMA’s Transfer Portal, it works, I am proof.
What impact has the Prism Scholarship—and the Prism community—had on you personally and professionally? Anything that surprised you?
It’s been four years now since my first essay, but this community now contains so many people I collaborate or just hang out with, and so many people I can’t wait to see when we can get together. That is the most surprising part. This wasn’t an experience limited to a window of time for just one exam.
Where do you see your career heading over the next few years?
I speculate that every day, but I love higher education as a distinct vertical. What we get to do and to be a part of students working towards something—career, research, the act of learning. I know I have been creating a wonderful resume or CV with how many things my hands have touched.
Advice & Acknowledgments
What advice would you offer to someone considering applying for Prism—or preparing for the CTS exam?
Do not hesitate to apply. Why hold off? The “what‑ifs” do not apply here. Your wording should change to “What will I…” It’s a journey with many forks in the road, and no two will be the same, but get on it. No regrets.
Who would you like to thank or acknowledge as you reflect on your Prism journey?
Annie Foster, who oversaw gathering all the “things” for the first cohort of PRISM, wrote the book for everyone after. She was the first person I met and introduced me to HETMA. Everything I have learned from HETMA has involved myself, sometimes my family, and started with her.
