Not everyone gets to spend the spring semester of their senior year – of only their third year in college – exploring their passion for museum work and collection management through a hands-on internship experience, but Samantha Talbot ’22 has found it to be the icing on the cake of a great college run. “I have learned how to properly handle belongings, how to properly store them, how to catalog them, and all the basics of collections work,” she says of her internship at the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter, RI. “I have been able to learn the histories behind all of the belongings I have worked with, which is my favorite part. It really is an extraordinary experience to work so closely with belongings that are so significant to the Narragansett tribe and other indigenous cultures.”
Talbot – who says she immediately “felt very comfortable and welcome on campus” when touring URI for the first time – enrolled as an anthropology major planning to do archaeology work. Connections with professors in various departments inspired her to add the second major in history and minor in classical civilizations. “I have met the most wonderful professors and peers,” she says of her time at URI. “Everyone is so supportive and wants to see you succeed.” From writing a senior capstone on “Queenship During the 12th Century” to honing her Latin skills to doing the collections internship, Talbot has certainly succeeded. She mentions Professors Joëlle Rollo-Koster and James Ward in the Department of History and Professor Daniel Carpenter in Classics as being particularly integral to her experience, noting how they helped her polish her writing and research skills, teach interesting and engaging courses, and cultivate incredibly welcoming environments in their respective departments. “I highly recommend taking classes in any of these departments if you are even a little bit interested,” she says.
Up next, Talbot is headed to Tufts University for a master’s degree in history and museum studies. She hopes to pursue a career in museum curation and collections management. As for fellow students interested in these degree paths, she has this advice: “Pick something that interests you, whether that be cultural anthropology, linguistics, underwater archaeology, Greek mythology, the Roman Empire, gender and women’s studies. There are so many options! If you’re curious about majoring, email a professor, talk to a peer. Anything to dip your toes in the water. I think exploring your interests is always a good idea and I think these departments are some of the most welcoming and supportive at URI.”
-By Anna Gray