sumbi began her career as an elementary school teacher in san diego. unhappy with the instability of the parent and student body, she resigned after one year, moved to los angeles, and obtained a master's degree in library science in order to join the la county library system. she remained in the system for 32 years until her retirement. she became the first african american administrator in the county library system. "probably, i was the first african american librarian serving the public in a los angeles county community library," she said. "there were a few other african american librarians on the payroll, but they worked at headquarters behind the scene."