Alumni

I often find myself saying or thinking “Oh, I did this for a class.” or “Yes, I have experience with that from UMW.” I am astounded every day by what I recall from college, and how much I use that knowledge in my career. 

“UMW HISP did a lot for me with regards to hand-drawing, research skills, AutoCAD, getting me well-versed in the National Register…I was way ahead of my peers in my Masters program, and as cheesy as it sounds it really helped to build the foundations for what I do on a professional level.”

“No matter what you end up doing, you will always need to know how to effectively communicate your ideas and findings to others through presentations, written reports, or in meetings. Mary Washington’s speaking and writing requirements have those fundamental skills built into your education and that is the beauty of a liberal arts education.”

“I 100% would not be creating museum exhibitions had I not studied preservation! Through the museum lab course I was introduced to the art of exhibition development and design when I worked on the Freedom Riders exhibit back in 2011. To be honest, I never really thought about who made museums of exhibits until this point. While working on Freedom Riders, I realized my artistic background, general geekiness towards CAD programs, interest in 3D modeling and of course my affinity towards museum studies all were perfect for this field. “

“The HISP program prepared me with a strong baseline in preservation. In my current position, I’m part of our outreach team — so I talk to people without formal preservation knowledge a lot. Because of Mary Wash, I feel comfortable talking about all aspects of preservation in layman’s terms. I am the only full-time staff member in my office without a master’s degree and I have not once unprepared or inadequate because of it.”

“Much of the responsibilities in my current job stem from my HISP experience. I am in charge of designing the Village’s budget document, because I am one of the few people in my job with InDesign experience. […] I want to transition from public sector planning to private real estate development. I want to be a
developer who ‘gets it’: who understands good urban planning, good preservation/adaptive reuse practices, and good urban design.”

“Thanks to UMW HISP, I was prepared for the diversity of skills my job entails – especially regarding research, writing, and design. The collaborative work environment in higher level classes also prepared me for working with others in the office.“


I really enjoyed that this major was not about lecturing all of the time, it was more about getting us out of the classroom and getting us involved and familiar with the practices of each discipline. It was very important to me, as a visual and hands-on learner, that I was able to physically practice and involve myself in labs and projects that would expand my knowledge and help me in the future.