What impact has this internship experience had on you? 

The impact this internship experience had on me is that it gave me confidence in my abilities. Throughout my internship, there were many moments where I was learning or experiencing something for the first time, and with the guidance of my mentors and other staff at the MAH, I grew more self-assured that I was capable of taking on different projects and assisting with events and programs. In the future, I feel as though this experience has given me trust in myself for managing my career in this field. During my internship, I was less afraid to make mistakes than I had been before because I knew that I would not be judged but rather supported by the people I worked with as they guided me through these new learning experiences. Now, I believe I could help somebody starting out in the position that I currently hold because I have spent so much time learning from those around me. I feel comfortable moving around the museum, guiding both myself when working on tasks and visitors when they come by, and I feel assured that I can take on tasks, including engaging with people about the museum both on and off-site, and managing workflow and projects. 

What are the most critical skills you learned or practiced?

A critical skill that I practiced during my internship is equity and inclusion. One of my goals for my career in working in museums is creating spaces that are approachable and accessible to many people. Therefore, throughout my internship, I practiced equity and inclusion in the ways that I partook in programming and in the ways that I engaged with people at outreach events. I did my best to adhere to each individual I interacted with, such as explaining our current exhibitions to people who stopped by our pop-up booths, taking care to describe things in more detail and with emphasis when talking to children versus adults. I worked hard to create an inviting environment both inside and outside the museum. I encouraged people to stop by the museum and shared with them what they might find interesting in our collections and of our programming. I made sure to inform them of when the museum had free admission days, so that as many people as possible could visit without monetary concerns. I learned about the history of Santa Cruz to make sure that the history that I was representing through the museum could be shared as accurately and inclusively as possible.