I began taking art lessons at the age of five from my mother, and by around age 6, I was taking art classes at the Virginia Museum fine Arts (VMFA) with her. Not the exact same classes of course, but it felt serendipitous just the same. As I continued my education I ventured into the biological field to satisfy the expectations and wants of others, only realizing in my first year of my undergraduate studies that it was not what I wanted to pursue. This led me to follow the field that has been with me my whole life, and to seek knowledge and a career in Art History, specifically working in collections management and curatorial departments. Throughout my undergraduate and now graduate study of art history at Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts, I've come to understand just how nuanced the field of art history is, particularly when contemplating the role of the museum in its development. Museum spaces have the opportunity to present new methods to change the canon and progress art history into a transcultural, transnational field that provides an example for a manner in which society can come to learn and understand the world. However, the importance of acknowledging local histories and uplifting local artists is essential to this understanding as well. As it allows the museum to establish a particular positionality within the art world and the community, while also permitting a fluidity that facilitates ways of knowing that are constantly evolving. Moreover, the evolution of the museum is essential for creating archives and curating exhibits that break out of the cycles of western hegemony. Hence, my main learning objective in my graduate education is to assist in building new methodologies and archives, which underpin the curation of exhibits in the museum. For that reason, the main departments/offices I’d like to develop my education in are collections management, curatorial departments, and development. Experience in collections management would allow me to work with many processes and departments, while also teaching me how the archive is/can be organized. Understanding how works of art are classified, and categorized would provide insight into not only the systemic structure of the museum, but the art historical field as a whole. Furthermore, gaining this understanding is necessary to fully grasp the underpinnings of curatorial research and facilitating impactful exhibitions. The benefits of a well organized archive on a practical, methodological, and conceptual level, lies in its ability to prime other departments such as curatorial, in putting together exhibitions and programming. On a developmental level, fostering relationships with local communities, administration, and organizations allows the museum to grow a relationship with the public and maintains the museum's status as an educational institution by discerning what the public is interested in and what they want to know. Furthermore, roles in development assist in creating partnerships within and across communities via providing funds, while simultaneously ensuring that any funding the museum receives itself is put towards progressing the space in the interest of public service. Through my studies I’d be able to develop into a curator, researcher, or director, that I believe the field needs. This would allow me to assist in putting together exhibitions or building programming that inspires another 5 or 6 year old, or another 45 or 46 year old, and open their eyes to the power and prevalence of art in their life, and how it connects them to the lives of other people around the world.