azrei
Oct 13, 2012
Undergraduate / UC prompt 1 about working at a museum and daughter of teenage parents [2]
Describe the word you come from and how it's shaped your dreams and aspirations
I am the daughter of parents who had me when they were my age, 17. Some religions might say that I am "illegitimate" in some sense implying that I was never meant to be. However, I know differently. After working at a museum for a year, I know every person in this world has a place. In fact, the world that I come from is a museum.
I remember sitting in my English class and listening to my teacher make an announcement about some job at the de Young museum. The details were lost in my stream of consciousness, making sure what I heard was right. I looked around at the class, many with their heads down or staring into space, and wondered if I was the only one that saw this as an amazing opportunity. I raised my hand sheepishly, since I was the only one, and got an application.
I went to the de Young the following Monday after school and every Monday after that. I only had 35 minutes to get across town, which could take an hour if you're unlucky. The job entailed engaging elementary aged kids in a 45-minute tour. Being a kid once myself, I knew there was this preconceived notion that museums are boring. We had our work cut out for us.
We were told to familiarize ourselves with each gallery. The care with which each piece was placed in the museum intrigued me. Each gallery told a different story and could bring me back to a different time period. For example, the colonial gallery juxtaposed portraits of British colonists with Native American warriors, illuminating the culture conflict going on during the colonial period.
The streets of San Francisco began to look to me like different galleries. It is evident which neighborhoods are richer and which are poorer. However, the socioeconomic background of the neighborhoods does not make them any more or less apart of this city. I've noticed that many people who live in San Francisco are accustomed to seeing homeless people line the sidewalks of certain streets and simply walk right by. It seems like many people don't find their experiences or perspectives worth hearing. After working at the de Young and seeing how every perspective contributes to a full understanding of the world, I want to make those unheard voices, heard. I feel like if we truly want to understand the world we come from, history and different perspectives are key in doing so.
Once our training in the galleries was finished, we began the tours. We were told to let the kids come to their own interpretations of the artwork and simply act as a guide for conversation. I didn't know how rewarding it would be to see a kids face light up when I praised or asked them to elaborate on their comment. It did not matter how intelligent or how wealthy a kid was, I had provided a space where all were equally validated. I know that when I was younger, there were many who doubted how successful I would be considering the young age of my parents. To some, my birth was not "valid" ("illegitimate"). While I didn't have a mom that had time to push me to do well in school or drive me to after school activities, I had a mom that sacrificed so much to give me a place in this world. The least I could do is make that place matter.
Working with kids and working among galleries taught me that every person functions much like an art piece. Every person, no matter what city, state, or country they are from equally make up the world at this very moment. Among art, I have seen the same rose painted completely different. It is easy to look down upon someone's way of life and deem them unworthy of your time but it is harder to hear the pain and suffering one had to go through to get there. I aspire to be a person who listens. I want to hear those that have been displaced in society and represent their unheard voices. I know that everyone has a place in this museum.
Describe the word you come from and how it's shaped your dreams and aspirations
I am the daughter of parents who had me when they were my age, 17. Some religions might say that I am "illegitimate" in some sense implying that I was never meant to be. However, I know differently. After working at a museum for a year, I know every person in this world has a place. In fact, the world that I come from is a museum.
I remember sitting in my English class and listening to my teacher make an announcement about some job at the de Young museum. The details were lost in my stream of consciousness, making sure what I heard was right. I looked around at the class, many with their heads down or staring into space, and wondered if I was the only one that saw this as an amazing opportunity. I raised my hand sheepishly, since I was the only one, and got an application.
I went to the de Young the following Monday after school and every Monday after that. I only had 35 minutes to get across town, which could take an hour if you're unlucky. The job entailed engaging elementary aged kids in a 45-minute tour. Being a kid once myself, I knew there was this preconceived notion that museums are boring. We had our work cut out for us.
We were told to familiarize ourselves with each gallery. The care with which each piece was placed in the museum intrigued me. Each gallery told a different story and could bring me back to a different time period. For example, the colonial gallery juxtaposed portraits of British colonists with Native American warriors, illuminating the culture conflict going on during the colonial period.
The streets of San Francisco began to look to me like different galleries. It is evident which neighborhoods are richer and which are poorer. However, the socioeconomic background of the neighborhoods does not make them any more or less apart of this city. I've noticed that many people who live in San Francisco are accustomed to seeing homeless people line the sidewalks of certain streets and simply walk right by. It seems like many people don't find their experiences or perspectives worth hearing. After working at the de Young and seeing how every perspective contributes to a full understanding of the world, I want to make those unheard voices, heard. I feel like if we truly want to understand the world we come from, history and different perspectives are key in doing so.
Once our training in the galleries was finished, we began the tours. We were told to let the kids come to their own interpretations of the artwork and simply act as a guide for conversation. I didn't know how rewarding it would be to see a kids face light up when I praised or asked them to elaborate on their comment. It did not matter how intelligent or how wealthy a kid was, I had provided a space where all were equally validated. I know that when I was younger, there were many who doubted how successful I would be considering the young age of my parents. To some, my birth was not "valid" ("illegitimate"). While I didn't have a mom that had time to push me to do well in school or drive me to after school activities, I had a mom that sacrificed so much to give me a place in this world. The least I could do is make that place matter.
Working with kids and working among galleries taught me that every person functions much like an art piece. Every person, no matter what city, state, or country they are from equally make up the world at this very moment. Among art, I have seen the same rose painted completely different. It is easy to look down upon someone's way of life and deem them unworthy of your time but it is harder to hear the pain and suffering one had to go through to get there. I aspire to be a person who listens. I want to hear those that have been displaced in society and represent their unheard voices. I know that everyone has a place in this museum.