"I began JFKU's museum studies program in 1995 in hopes of gaining training and experience that would enable me to find a position in Hawaii's very competitive museum market. Thanks to my internships and the reputation of the program, I have succeeded in a variety of collection settings. One of the strongest assets I had going into my interview for my current position was the work I had done on my master's project, which I still use today. More importantly, though, JFKU fostered a sense of community, responsibility and friendship that continues to extend well beyond the classroom."

"A Hoopa Tribal member of Yurok and Karuk descent, I was born and raised on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. After receiving a BA in Native American Studies at California State University, Humboldt, I followed my spiritual path and chose JFKU's program of study based on its high caliber. I specialized in collections management. The Certificate in Museum Studies I earned has given me the tools and confidence needed to act successfully as a liaison between a wide range of agencies housing Native American collections and the Indian communities of California. I also serve on the board of the California Association of Museums."

"In 1999, I graduated from JFKU's museum studies program a much better writer, presenter and team player. While those skills may sound basic, they have led to a fulfilling career in exhibit design and development. I knew that JFKU's program, in which I specialized in public programming, would push me and open new doors. Among them were an internship at the Exploratorium, an American Association of Museums conference panel, an Association of Children's Museums roundtable discussion, an article for ACM's journal Hand to Hand, and my current position as Project Director for a San Francisco-based exhibit design firm, The Sibbett Group."

"I selected the Museum Studies Department at JFKU because of the program's national reputation and its responsiveness to current issues facing the museum field. I completed the program as a part-time student, which allowed me to work fulltime at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. Besides being challenging and thought-provoking, the curriculum is an excellent balance of academic coursework and practical experience-from museology to hands-on internships. This balance gave me a strong foundation as a museum professional. The JFKU program also encouraged me to participate in nationwide and statewide professional development activities, which ultimately gave me the opportunity to represent museums across California."

"JFKU's museum studies program introduced me to many wonderful museum professionals, some of whom I have the pleasure of working with today. Since I graduated, I've worked in a range of institutions, including the California Council for the Humanities, Lawrence Hall of Science, and the Oakland Museum of California. As Executive Director of CERA, I have been working to transition this museum support organization into a new nonprofit, supervising operations, staffing, fundraising, and board relations and development. JFKU provided me with a strong foundation in theory, ethics as well as practical skills which I use on a daily basis in my career."

"I've been working at the Exploratorium for almost seven years now in evaluation and visitor research-a dream job I landed right out of JFKU. I work on exhibit development initiatives, public programming projects, and audience development. I decided to apply to JFKU because its museum studies program was one of the top in the country and I had heard lots of great things about it from established professionals. What I most respected and enjoyed about the program were the supportive instructors, real-life assignments, team projects, internships, and the wonderful folks in the field I got to meet and eventually work with. JFKU's relevant curriculum prepared me for the museum field and gave me the tools to be innovative and strategic in the future."

"Since graduating with a master's in museum studies from JFKU, I've been working as an Associate Creative Manager at Antenna Audio, where I also did my internship. I wrote my master's project on designing audio tours for visitors who are blind and visually impaired, and this is now an important part of my job. I consult on all of our tours for this audience and I write some of them as well. I was originally drawn to this audience after working with a group of kids with visual impairments for a project in the "Museums and Communities" seminar. It is extremely rewarding to help make museums more accessible to all people!"

"I chose JFKU's museum studies program because the teachers were also working in the field and not just academics and because the placement rate for graduates is high. Due to the large concentration of museums in the Bay Area, I had the opportunity to intern and work at a variety of institutions. At JFKU, I learned of the importance and need for museums to be involved with the community they serve. Since joining the San Diego Historical Society upon graduating, I have processed and organized individual photograph collections from the Booth Historical Photograph Archive's 2.5 million photographs. I have also served as project manager of a $170,000 cataloging grant project awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission as well as of a $50,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant to digitize, catalog and make accessible to the public 3,500 images."

Cnrolling as a graduate student in the Museum Studies Program at JFKU was the best move of my career. The nature of the program, with its core teaching staff of experienced museum professionals, challenging coursework, and structured internship opportunities allowed me to grow both professionally and personally in ways I did not even imagine. During my time as a graduate student I received the L. Thomas Frye Fellowship Award from the Oakland Museum of California, was hired as a museum teacher for their "Indian Life" program, and conducted docent training with Indian Life Docents. The Museum Studies Program has also rewarded me with: personal confidence in all of my abilities and endeavors; a broader perspective that counterbalanced my ethnocentricity; additional skills and training in how to reach an audience; developing museum programming for under-served audiences; and invaluable lessons in the type of cooperation and collaboration required to succeed as a respected professional in today's world of museums and museum practices. I am proud to call myself a graduate of the JFKU Museum Studies Program.

"I was attracted to the museum studies program at JFKU because of its emphasis on practical training. Through my internships I learned hands-on about program and exhibition evaluation, which ultimately led to my current position with the Institute for Learning Innovation. Since joining the Institute in 2003, I have applied the skills and knowledge gained at JFKU to evaluation projects at the Buffalo Museum of Science, the Franklin Institute Science Museum, and the Austin Children's Museum. The JFKU faculty and curriculum challenged-and encouraged-me to think seriously but imaginatively and to be considerate and proactive in serving the public through museum work."

"Three days after graduating from JFKU, where I wrote my master’s project on tribal museums and cultural centers, I joined the staff of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the largest “tribal museum” in the United States. I oversee the school tours, exhibit tours, and teaching carts. The multidisciplinary nature of JFKU’s museum studies program and its focus on the latest museum practices enabled me to work in a variety of departments within NMAI, beginning in collections management, then curatorial, and now in the public programs department."

"Upon graduating from JFKU’s museum studies program, which helped me to build on my prior professional experience in cultural center administration, I accepted a marketing position with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The primary focus of my job is the upcoming opening of the new de Young Museum, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog and de Meuron. I know my effectiveness in this position is directly related to the confidence and knowledge I derived from my academic training, as well as from the personal and professional relationships I developed while a student in JFKU’s program."

"After graduating from JFKU, I worked for Independent Exhibitions and then the Exploratorium. In 1994, I started my own exhibition development and design firm: Redmond-Jones & Associates, in Berkeley. I have served as a Board Member and the Western Representative for the National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME) and a Board Member of the Western Museums Association. JFKU was a wonderful program for me for a couple reasons. First, it was very hands-on and practical. We were exposed and taught the theory, but were also given ample opportunities to apply it, especially through internships. Second, it introduced me to museum professionals who were out there “walking the talk.” I thank JFKU for getting me fully immersed into the world of museums and exhibitions."

"JFKU's museum studies program especially attracted me because of its emphasis on practical experience gained through internships. My internships enabled me to make connections with other museum professionals and hone my skills gained from classroom studies, and they eventually opened the door to employment opportunities. My first internship, at the Charles M. Schulz Museum, led to a position as Collections Manager at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. I was hired before I had even completed my degree. Similarly, the skills I learned in the context of my internship at the Wells Fargo Archives paved the way to my current position as Image Archivist at the Computer History Museum, where I oversee the photography, film, and oral history collections."

"JFKU's museum studies program gave me the chance to grow professionally while providing me with an academic foundation. I discovered aspects of myself-that I enjoy writing and am terrified of presenting-which I was able to further develop or overcome, respectively. Class projects offered great opportunities to grapple with real-world circumstances like team dynamics and deadlines. But of course nothing compares to the tremendous sense of accomplishment that I still feel from completing my master's project. Since my involvement in the museum field has broadened to include more than just my own concerns about my job as an exhibit developer. I recently visited Iran where I, along with colleagues from the Exploratorium, consulted with the Zirakzadeh Science Foundation, which is developing new science centers all over their country."

"I chose JFKU’s museum studies program for its emphasis on communities and arts education. My JFKU training in youth programming, nonprofit administration, board development, and community partnerships is invaluable to my work at Habitot. Formerly, I held the position of Associate Director of DrawBridge, a nonprofit organization in San Rafael that provides expressive art programs for homeless children living in shelters and transitional housing sites in the Bay Area and beyond. There I was responsible for fundraising, financial/strategic planning, and for managing staff. Most importantly, my education at JFKU taught me that museum learning experiences, for audiences all ages, have the power to engage diverse communities and thereby further social change."