My name is Edmund Kwadwo Fosu, and I am a Pre-Professional Graduate Assistant at the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I am also completing my Master of Science in Library and Information Science at Illinois. Receiving an RDAP scholarship gave me the opportunity to attend the 2026 RDAP Summit, and I am very grateful for that support.

As someone whose work has centered on student support, instruction, research assistance, and digital access, I found the 2026 summit theme, “Practical, Personalized, Impactful: Research Data in the Real World,” especially meaningful. It reflected a view of data services that I found both realistic and inspiring: data support is not only about tools and policies, but also about people, context, communication, and responsive service.

One of the most thought-provoking parts of the summit for me was the keynote, “From Rapid Response to Sustainable Infrastructure: A Year with the Data Rescue Project.” The keynote showed how public data preservation can move from urgent action to long-term, community-supported infrastructure. That was especially valuable to me because it highlighted the broader social role of data work and reminded me that access, preservation, and stewardship are deeply connected to public trust and public good.

I was also drawn to sessions that emphasized practical teaching and support models, including work on research data integrity, qualitative research support, data literacy, AI-ready data, and data accessibility. These topics helped me see more clearly how research data services can be made more usable and more responsive to real researcher needs. The program’s attention to both technical and human dimensions of data services was one of the most helpful aspects of the summit for me.

What I appreciated most about RDAP was the way it brought together a community of people thinking seriously about how to support research in thoughtful, adaptable, and collaborative ways. Even in a virtual setting, the summit felt rich with ideas and professional generosity. As I continue building my career in librarianship, I hope to carry forward what I learned about practical support, accessibility, sustainability, and user-centered data services. I am thankful to RDAP and the scholarship sponsors for making this experience possible.