Shaping The Next Generation of Museum Leaders

December 9, 2025

At The Wolfsonian, students don't just observe museum work; they help make it happen. Every semester, we train the next generation of museum professionals through working alongside our team.

Last year, social media manager Chris Lopez recorded five Wolfsonian interns over the course of their internships, which ranged from a semester to a year, capturing their experience and thoughts on the value of museums and their time at The Wolf. In the video below, they explore a deceptively simple question: what is a museum?

Catching Up

Our former interns are now shaping museum collections, building exhibitions, and pursuing graduate studies across the country. We touched base with Azariah, Ana, Sophia, and Nicole after their internships concluded to see what they're on to next.

Where are You Now?

Sophia: I'm currently finishing my BFA in Animation with a minor in Art History. After graduation, I plan on finding new local museums and art institutions to work with!

Ana: I am interning under the Collections Management and Registration department at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, through the Latino Museum Studies Program. I plan to pursue a career as a registrar or archivist and attend graduate school for Museum Studies with a concentration in Collections Management.

Nicole: I've completed other internships at museums, cultural institutions, and worked with several galleries. I'm still finishing my degree in Art History and plan to graduate this December.

Azariah: I graduated with my BA in Anthropology and started my Master's in Museology at the University of Florida in August. I just started working in the Smathers Library Special Collections, working on the Panama Canal Museum Collection. With this position, I am helping with processing the collection and curating projects like online exhibits, booklets, and videos.

Moments That Stayed

Sophia: I got to participate in the curation of the current exhibition, World's Fairs: Visions of Tomorrow. I found the process of selecting which objects would be displayed fascinating, as well as deciding how they would actually be arranged in the space—this gave me a real insight into how the exhibitions I see in museums and galleries actually came to be.

Ana: I had the opportunity to assist the curators with research on jewelry for an upcoming exhibition. This became a passion project of mine throughout my internship, as I got the chance to learn about unique pieces from companies like Tiffany and Gorham, contact artists and auction houses for information on the objects, and even help develop some of the storyboards!

Nicole: During my time as a registration intern, assistant registrar Amy Silverman and I were hanging artworks on the storage racks. No one tells you how heavy those racks are. Amy pulled one open like it was nothing. When it was my turn, I had to plant both feet, brace my whole body, and pull with everything I had. I still almost fell. Eventually I got the hang of it, but I gained a lot of respect for registrars; they're basically doing CrossFit with paintings.

Azariah: I enjoyed sharing my research interests with museum librarian Erin Heffron and chief librarian Frank Luca and picking out vintage 1920s and 1930s brochures from the library collection. This was incredibly exciting for me because I was able to find material that highlighted the tourist developmental history of Miami and Miami Beach, and use them to write a blog post.

How The Wolfsonian Shaped Paths

Sophia: I'd never really thought of exhibition work as a possibility for me, but after everything I did during my time at The Wolfsonian, I definitely see myself doing more like it in the future! I greatly enjoyed my time there, and I'm eager to continue using the skills and knowledge I've gained as I move forward.

Ana: This experience kickstarted my passion for working with museum collections as it was one of my first opportunities directly handling, labeling, and relocating objects. Since then, I have developed an interest in working closely with objects to support stewardship and preservation.

Nicole: My path has shifted a bit. I'm now moving toward the philanthropic and corporate side of the humanities and nonprofit world. It's an essential part of how organizations function, especially in Miami-Dade, and I want to be part of that structure and growth.

Azariah: Working with rare books, ephemera, and archives at The Wolfsonian made me realize pursuing a career in libraries and special collections is something I'm very interested in.

To learn more about our student internship program, visit our Student Employment page.