Artist & Documentary Filmmaker
Curatorial Intern, Department of Photography - MOMA
University College London, M.A. History of Art
Looking retrospectively at my undergraduate years, I am hard-pressed to think of a better decision than having chosen French as one of my majors. The Department is staffed by exceptionally understanding, generous, and brilliant scholars of myriad areas of expertise, ranging from history and literature, to theatre, fashion, and gender and sexuality.The Department championed my work as a student for the entirety of my three years at Rutgers, and allowed me to design a curriculum around my interests and strengths. By majoring in French, I was able to study in Paris for six months, where I discovered my passion for the world of art and art history. After taking courses in photography, art history, and documentary filmmaking--all in French--I was launched, unexpectedly, but wholeheartedly, into the museum world, and have since worked at such institutions as the Met and MoMA.Through various courses, programs, and extracurriculars, I expanded my circle of friends. Together, we braved exams, traveled extensively, and when we forgot how to conjugate one of any number of irregular verbs--this being French, after all-- we often did so together.Studying a language as widely-spoken as French, was not only useful for travel and making international friends that I keep up with to this day, but it forced me to keep an open mind, embrace challenges, and step out of my comfort zone. I leave this program with a newfound admiration for the French language and culture, and as I begin graduate school in London, I await my many visits to the city where it all began for me.