We are pleased to present the next in a series of student and faculty profiles illustrating the foundations of our Inspiring Women: Campaign for Westover. These are the women of Westover - and their inspiring teachers.
Hands-On Experiences in the Arts & Museum Research
Liv & Ali
“I have had a passion for Art History since the first day of Northern European Painting, an art
“Over the first six years of the Sonja Osborn Museum Studies Internship [SOMSI] program, what
history elective I took as a sophomore. As a student, I am constantly looking for an excuse to
has struck me is how invested, dedicated, and creative every student has been to developing
learn something new and different, and to widen my educational experience here at Westover,
themes connecting Westover and Hill-Stead that I had never considered. How the student
and beyond. Oftentimes, that means never saying no to the opportunities that come my way.
interns have taken on all the tasks surrounding their projects – not just undertaking the
The best thing about the SOMSI internship is that it isn’t narrowly defined; you can adjust it
research, writing their paper, and working with the staff at Hill-Stead Museum, but also working
to fit your interests and immerse yourself in a particular subject. Ultimately, you can make it
with Westover faculty and alumnae as well and preparing the exhibition area, right down to
about whatever you want it to be, which I think can also be said about a Westover education.”
prepping the display wall – never ceases to impress me. The comprehensive experience of
Liv Burns ’14 Lantern Art Editor in Chief 2013, Lantern Photography Editor in Chief 2014; Coagess Yearbook Editor in Chief, 2012, 2013, & 2014; Captain and founding member of Westover’s Crew team; Poetry Seminar participant; Invest in Girls participant 2012, 2013, & 2014; Invest in Girls summer intern 2012 & 2013; plans to study broadcast or print journalism in college
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the program and the self-directedness of the students to coordinate their projects very much captures what it is to be a Westover student.”
Allison Hildebrand Instructor in Art History & Humanities, SOMSI Coordinator since 2006; Middlebury College, B.A. in Art History; Williams College, M.A. in Art History
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