43 THE STUDENT MUSEUM EDUCATOR (SME) position is a multifaceted one within SCMA. When I first applied, I envisioned myself as a tour guide; but the opportunity was so much more. Not only did I plan tours, but I created in-gallery material for the exhibition When In Rome; was part of the steering committee for the Strategic Plan; and researched objects and artists. I call out these different pieces to my role at the museum because together they allowed me to expand my understanding of what a museum educator is, and to develop my teaching philosophy. Initially I believed that my studies in art history would give me the resources to provide contextual and visual information about objects for my tours. However, the more tours I led, the more I felt that a balance was needed between providing contextual information while also providing visitors with enough space to engage on a personal level. Also, the objects and themes I wanted to teach started to engage my political interests. How could I teach multiple art histories in a one-hour tour? I realized that in addition to my art historical studies I wanted to connect Latinx, Queer and Africana studies theories to my understanding of how bodies, places and spaces are represented, or re-represented in a museum setting. This particular realization stemmed from my work as a SME, thinking about the roles museums might play today, and fundamentally the role art can play in creating a greater historical, political and personal understanding for an individual. For my final Museums Concentration project, I decided to disengage with tour design. I chose to focus on how the didactic materials already in place at the museum could facilitate the same ideas, connection- building and strategies I might introduce in a tour that could serve self-guided visitors, families and other members of the community. The digital component of the Museums Concentration project led me to want to unpack this newfound interest by redesigning SCMA’s blog, Paper + People. I decided to incorporate pieces of the museum’s strategic plan—such as creating insti- tutional transparency, active approach to learning and user-friendly digital spaces—into my redesign. I included not only posts about the objects, but also posts on museum events, museum news and student posts in an attempt to bridge the gap between digital and in-person museum interaction. I found myself using artworks within the collection to talk about greater issues within the worlds of museums and art history, such as the Edward Curtis photograph to discuss the “myth of the vanishing Indian,” or the Enook Manomie piece to re-envision the way museums provide agency to an indigenous artist. These posts became a delicate matter because I wasn’t sure what voice I should be using while incorporating these difficult issues. I used this project as a steppingstone in my interest in museum interpretation, a place to experiment. Recently, I accepted a position at the Dallas Museum of Art as the McDermott Intern for Interpretation, where I will be able to expand the learning opportunities I gained through my time at SCMA. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: OLIVIA FEAL ‘17