I want to take you all back in time to December 2023. I was a senior at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania studying art history. For the first time in my undergrad career, the pressure of entering the real world truly began to set in. I was constantly being barraged by questions about my plans after college. It seemed that I could not hide from my inquisitive professors, friends, family… or my dentist. While I did appreciate people’s interest in my life, I struggled a lot with this time because, quite honestly, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Pursuing a graduate degree was always an option, but it didn’t feel like it was the right time. I could have moved back to the Jersey Shore with my family and worked at Sunglass Hut for a year, but that wasn’t my dream, either. As the stress was really starting to get to me, I received a sign from the universe in the form of an email from one of my history professors. In it was a link to the FAO Schwarz Fellowship.

Here I am, over two years later, working at the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), an institution dedicated to sharing New York City’s stories with learners of all ages, a task that I am in part responsible for. In my role at the museum, I spend many mornings on the floor leading K-12 groups through our galleries and teaching them about New York City’s rich culture. In the afternoons, I focus my attention on accessibility by researching and implementing ways to make field trips more accessible for all people. 

Before my time at MCNY, I never saw myself as an educator. My whole life I had felt I was too quiet, too shy, too insecure to get in front of a crowd and command their attention for 90 minutes at a time. So, as my first MCNY field trip drew nearer, I expressed my anxiety to not only my colleagues at my organization, but also to my fellow Fellows, Jacob and Shraddha and, of course, Priscilla. 

It was this moment that showed me just how incredible this Fellowship was. 

I received so much encouragement from Jacob and Shraddha who, at that point, I had only known for a month. When I told Priscilla, I realized that this Fellowship had introduced me to someone who would become my biggest cheerleader. This support did not end after my first tour, nor was it confined to the New York Fellows and Priscilla. I will always remember the anxiety I felt on our first retreat in NYC, the night before our visit to MCNY, and the way that the Fellows banded together to give me many words of encouragement. And then, as if that were not enough, they complimented me to no end when the day was over. Having this group of people who, at the time, were strangers, yet who had full faith in me from the very beginning, changed everything for me. Over the past year and a half, the faith that we all have in one another has only grown. 

And that brings us to today. Once again, I have reached a stage in my life when people are asking me what is next. Instead of succumbing to anxiety this time around, I am entering the next phase of my life with confidence. I’m happy to share that I have been accepted to Hunter College’s MA in Art History program and am hoping to find work in other museums around the city. 

While I am incredibly excited about pursuing a graduate degree and working in museums, I must admit that this is a truly bittersweet moment. I am going to miss a lot about this Fellowship: my host organization, yes; my check-ins with Priscilla, of course; but most of all, the special moments that happen on Fellowship retreats. I will miss the reunion gatherings where I get to be surrounded by all the Fellows in my cohort from all three cities. Where everyone is laughing, eating, and being nervous to network. 

I am hopeful that these memories and these friendships last me a lifetime (if you are in the 2024-2026 or 2025-2027 cohort and reading this, you have to be my best friend forever). 

This Fellowship has helped me grow so much as a museum professional, a leader, and a person and has given me even more than I can ever fully articulate in terms of personal fulfillment. I am forever grateful for the FAO Schwarz Fellowship and all of the people who made this journey possible for me.