NCCC Success Story

Hometown
Antioch, California

Degree programs
B.S. Museum Studies, and immersion in Deaf Studies

Year of graduation
2016

Place of employment
American School for the Deaf (ASD), Hartford, Connecticut

Job Title
Student intern in Cogswell Heritage House on the ASD Campus

Work Responsibilities
My responsibilities focused on preserving ASD’s historical artifacts; organizing and developing a cataloging system in their library; and handling and conserving paintings and manuscripts from the 1800s and 1900s. I took it upon myself to organize the manuscripts and develop the cataloging system and worked with my supervisors to teach them how to use the system. I learned to be gentle and organized in the preservation and conservation of manuscripts that were several hundred years old. I took special training online so that I could help upload images from ASD’s collection to the University of Connecticut’s digital archive collections.

How my career relates to my degree from RIT/NTID
I think my degrees will provide me with the opportunity to work anywhere in a museum that will benefit from my education and skills. RIT/NTID is one of the top private universities where I could find the opportunity to earn my bachelor’s degree, something I will need to continue on this career path. I chose to come to RIT / NTID because it had more diverse students and included deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and students with different majors. I have been exposed to so many different people and have learned that everyone is different in their own ways with their education, languages, and skills, and that fascinates me. The co-op has given me the privilege of developing professional relationships with staff and other people who work at ASD’s Heritage House by meeting with them weekly and sharing insights. Also, I have had the opportunity to work with these people and experience the excitement of working on historical artifacts and exhibitions. In my coursework, I learned the 21st century technology I would need to apply to preserving aging manuscripts and pictures. The co-op was challenging and gave me the opportunity to apply the techniques I had mastered in class to my real world work situation.

Advice
Make sure to take advantage of as many co-ops as you can. A co-op can make you more likely to be hired in the future because both students and the companies they work for often develop a relationship and find ways to help each other. Also, get involved with leadership opportunities because it can help you gain awareness of your own skills and leadership abilities.