We welcome Hailey Chenevert, who joined us last week as program assistant for the SENCER-ISE program. In this capacity, she will be part of the project leadership team, take part in the review and distribution of partnership awards, liaison with the Koshland Museum of Science, and support developing partnerships once initiated. Hailey brings experience in the informal education field from previous work with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, as well as a specialization in Museum Studies. Hailey may be reached at [email protected]. We invited Hailey to introduce herself. She writes:
“At sixteen years old I was fortunate enough to travel to London, England with my mother and a family friend. It was my first experience traveling outside of the United States and it was the beginning of what has grown into a passion of mine. I was fascinated with the history and culture that crept into every part of the city. Since then, I have jumped at every chance I have had to travel abroad to Europe. During my junior year in high school I went to France with my French Club. We spent most of our time in Paris, visiting to museums and seeing the sights, but we also had the chance to take a day trip out to Giverny, France to see Claude Monet’s garden. The following year, I seized the opportunity to travel yet again. My senior year humanities class offered a Spring Break trip to Italy and France. My trips abroad instilled in me an interest in the humanities, which ultimately shaped my decision of where I went to college.
I attended Michigan State University as part of the inaugural class in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH.) In the RCAH, traditional humanities were studied, however, a large focus was also placed on recent history and contemporary society. The RCAH curriculum not only emphasized studying society, but also looking at ways in which we impact it. As a result, civic engagement became a large part of my college experience. I became involved in a community art center in Lansing, MI that developed into an AmeriCorps Summer Associate position co-coordinating a pilot art program.
In addition to the RCAH, I also received a specialization in Museum Studies at MSU. My studies took me back across the pond on an art, history, and culture focused study abroad in the UK. I have loved attending, and learning from, museums since I was young. Through my Museum Studies courses I developed a more formal understanding and appreciation for the work that is done in the informal education world.
After graduation, an internship at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH) brought me to Washington, D.C. At the CFCH, I worked with a talented curator, and experienced program coordinator on a program for the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The program team and I worked closely with over 25 universities, the USDA, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to create Campus and Community: Public and Land-grant Universities and the USDA at 150.
At the beginning of 2013, I joined the NCSCE team as a program assistant on the SENCER-ISE project. I look forward to meeting you and doing what I can to making SENCER-ISE II a great success.”