In wrapping up my final week of work at the museum, the goodbyes were bittersweet. I wrapped up the projects that I had worked on throughout the course of the placement, most notably the series of short form interviews with the contemporary artists from the new exhibition. I challenged myself with French-English transcription and translation to create captions for the videos, and learned more in the process about the artistic process of these diverse international artists.
Looking back at when I first started, when I was unsure about my French and still looking for places to get involved, I am so grateful to have become such an integral part of the team. My biggest takeaway immediately after ending this experience was the importance of taking initiative and getting to know your colleagues, which can open up new avenues to pioneer your own projects and apply skillsets of yours that you never even thought of bringing to the position. When I first started, I did not think that my graphic design and video editing skills would come to be so central to the Communications work that I conducted at the museum, but ultimately allowed me to take the lead on a project of my own with the video interview series.
I am a 3rd year at Barnard College of Columbia University, studying History with a concentration in East Asia alongside a minor in Education Studies. My current Laidlaw research project focuses on the historical identity formation of Chinese Cuban diasporic communities, through the use of visual and textual archival analysis.
I am passionate about equity and representation in academia, public engagement with historical education, and immigration and refugee justice. Generally, my research interests include migration and diaspora, gender and sexuality, postcolonial studies, and pedagogy.
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