This week, because it is my last week, marked the beginning
of entering my data on an Excel spreadsheet. I have collected so many trackings
and now I can see if there’s any correlations between factors and what children
prefer the most in the Discovery Room. When I was on the floor working at a
station called Discover Your Heart, I taught children about the functions of
the heart, blood, and about healthy living. When a little girl approached me,
she picked up a mode lof blood and asked me about white blood cells and about
how they relate to cancer. So I explained what I knew but I told her that every
cancer is different. So then she said, “I want to learn about lymphoma so I can
help my brother get better!” I told her she could find more information online about
the illness and I told her that researchers are working every day to help
people in his case. I had a break a few minutes after that and I went to the
restroom and cried because cancer hits close to home in my family and she seemed really hopeful, scared, and
persistent which reminded me why research is important and I am going to do
what I do in life. That moment made me realize that everyone comes to a museum
with a different purpose. It can be to learn, to have fun, or to save someone’s
life and as educators it is our obligation to help guests and encourage them to
learn. I also saw an IMAX movie this week that discussed living in space, the
progression of climate change, warring countries, and working together to
better our world. It really made me think about the impact humanity has had on
our planet. Today, I found a goodbye card from everybody in my cubicle and my
boss Evelyn made me a giant tray of brownies and honestly I feel really
appreciated and sad to go but I am so happy that my first job was somewhere
that I could grow as a person and learn more about science. I think working at
a museum is one of the most rewarding things someone can do because you have
the opportunity to impact hundreds of lives every day and hope that those
conversations can impact the world.
My boss, Kristen, was away at a conference all week to learn
more about tracking guests. I think that I’ve done a good job on becoming
independent in my work and putting my best effort forward to produce something
I can be proud of. This week, I have also been checked off at many stations so
my trainers are sad to see me go because they prepped me up and now I am
leaving. So far I have been able to say bye to everyone but Kristen because she
is away and we thought that my last day would be Monday—but it’s not. My other
boss Evelyn emailed Kristen about me leaving sooner than expected and I think
her day is ruined now. She told Evelyn to pass on the message that I was
awesome to work with and she ended the email “This is a sad day.” I feel so bad
so I am going to come Monday and surprise her because she is cool and I love
her.
As my time here comes to an end, I have learned that museum
keeping is a lot of work, is very intricate, and very non-traditional in terms
of teaching. However, everything put into it is worth it because a museum has
something for everybody. Museums are important because they are
non-exclusionary so literally everyone can come and have a good time while they
come and take something special away from them and something as special as that
deserves a lot of support. Through my internship I have learned that everything
we do is not possible without teamwork if its something like setting up a
stations or finding funding for a new project, only through teamwork can we produce
an awesome product.
This week I thought a lot about Washington Week because of
the IMAX movie that I saw. Since it was space oriented, I remembered the
planetarium and it made me miss everybody and I really appreciate the time we
spent together that week. The overall message of teamwork that resonated with
me was the same message that I left with when I came back to California. And
just like that trip, my experience here has motivated me to change something
about their everyday life. It has motivated me to become the ambassador for
that change.
I can’t wait to hear how you’ve all been doing and what
you’ve gotten from your experiences. I am grateful for this opportunity and I
will be sure to tell others about it so that others can experience the growth
that I did.
Much love,
Dayanna J
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