I am of “the wind.” It “blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” So it is with me.

Sara is proud to be a double gator having gotten her Bachelors in Anthropology with a minor in Art History from She cemented her love for museums after learning the behind-the-scenes of the field through an undergraduate class as well as volunteer work during her undergrad. Once deciding on this path, she interned for the Harn Museum of Art in the Education department as the Community Programs and Outreach Intern in the Spring of 2022. Her primary goal during her time in this program is to take the principles of critical museum theory and translate them into the museum education sub-field. Her work thus far has taken her to the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala and the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa. Her research predominately focuses on how to bridge connections between the worlds of informal and formal education by creating programs that utilize facets of both. 

Becky received her BA in History with a minor in Art History from the University of Central Florida in 2020. After graduation she took a year off school to gain hands on experience in the museum field. She worked as a docent at the Sanford History Museum and interned at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Garden. These experiences fostered her passion for museum work and gave her expertise in curatorial and archival work. Becky is incredibly excited about the decolonizing lens through which this program studies museums. She hopes to focus her study on the censorship that occurs inside museums and bring light to those that are underrepresented within the museum space.

Gavin graduated in the spring of 2022 from Clemson University with a BA in Anthropology with a minor in religious studies and a BA in history with a minor in social sciences. She has experience working with material culture in all stages as its processed through archaeological digs, into labs, and handed over to museums and other educational institutions. She has enjoyed her time working for community museums and historic homes during her undergraduate career, and looks forward to gaining further experience in the museum field. She feels the critical lens through which UF examines museum studies will aid her in her career as she seeks to change the world through museums.

Sarah received her BA in English and History in 2020 from Southern Oregon University and its Honors College. During her undergraduate studies, Sarah worked as a research assistant for the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology, where she partook in archeological digs and worked on a digital archive. She also edited Historias, the podcast by the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies, furthering her interest in making conversations in higher education accessible to a larger audience. At UF, Sarah looks forward to learning about the tangible steps being made toward museum decolonization and how those steps can be enacted at museums of all sizes.

I have always had an interest in archaeology and museums and graduated in 2009 with a BA in Anthropology from Northwestern University. During that time, I was able to attend field school at an Etruscan site in central Italy, and despite having a spectacular time, it never really felt like that was my path. In 2014, I started volunteering at the Environmental Archaeology Lab at the Florida Museum, and not only did I really enjoy working with the collections, but I also found mentors that supported me and encouraged my growth as a student of the museum. I was later hired on as a collections assistant working primarily with the legacy collections. I’m excited to join the Museum Studies Graduate program in order to delve more into the accessibility, ethics, and management of legacy museum research collections.

Ryan graduated from the University of Florida in the spring of 2022 with her BA in Classical Studies with a minor in Art History. She grew up visiting museums all around the world and desired to combine her love of art, culture, and history into her profession. After graduation, she volunteered at the Orlando Museum of Art at their Visitor Information Services and Design Store and helped out at multiple museum events. These experiences fostered a newfound interest in curation and museum education. Her undergraduate honors thesis explored the controversy surrounding the Parthenon marbles and the challenges of repatriation. At UF, she hopes to study how museums reevaluate their collections’ histories and origins to further decolonize their institutions. 

My name is Genesis Leonard, a native of Montgomery, AL. I am a recent graduate from Alabama State University, receiving my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. I’m currently a graduate student at the University of Florida, majoring in museum studies. Not only is it my passion to become a director of my own gallery to provide space and opportunity to underprivileged artists, but I also enjoy creating my own art. 

Shelby graduated in the fall of 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from Mississippi College. In 2020, she began working in Memphis, TN as an English as a Second Language (ESL) educator. After deciding on a career shift and with her passion for museums, she decided to pursue a master’s in Museum Studies. While interested in all aspects that make up a museum, her main interest lies with museum education. In addition, she is passionate about trauma-informed practices and youth outreach in museums. Shelby was drawn to the program at the University of Florida because of their emphasis on change and the interdisciplinary nature of the program. She endeavors to be part of the work that make museums more accessible and community-oriented.