Marisa Silverman, ARHU Ambassador

For my Scholar’s practicum, I was an ambassador for the College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU) at the University of Maryland. ARHU Ambassadors is a program through the College that trains students to speak with prospective and new students about the College of Art and Humanities. During my year in the program, I had a variety of experiences. Throughout the year I learned public speaking skills in class, practiced for interviews and met many people there specifically to help ARHU students throughout their time at Maryland. Each semester I was required to work at least three ARHU events outside of class where I spoke with prospective students, helped run orientation for new-to-ARHU Freshman Connection students and worked with freshmen in the peer mentor program. I even got to take over the ARHU Instagram account and I worked on the ambassador recruitment committee for next year’s group! I found my practicum almost by accident, through an email sent to all students in ARHU inviting them to apply to the program for the following year in the spring of my freshman year. I would tell future Media Scholars to pay close attention to the emails they get from their college and the Career Center because they frequently have loads of good opportunities you could potentially use for your practicum. From my practicum, I learned a lot of good communication skills that have been very applicable in all areas of my life. I’ve learned how to sell both the College and myself in the best way possible, which is an invaluable skill in interviews and my career going forward. I’ve included the introductory video from my Instagram takeover to show these new communication skills, even though I thought the whole process was incredibly awkward, my practicum helped me be more confident and to be able to do something despite it making me uncomfortable.  Moving forward, I plan to use these communication skills in interviews and to help me be more confident when talking to professors and other people on campus. Though I’m not quite sure where exactly I’ll be going after graduation, these skills can help me anywhere I go, so that I can make the best of any situation going forward. My future plans are a bit abstract, but my practicum experience has taught me the importance of grasping opportunities as they present themselves. This summer, I intend to either intern at a local museum (I haven’t heard back yet), or work in my local library system, both of which will help me narrow my career goals. Next year, I intend to participate in either research or an internship, alongside my participation in the History Honors Program, which will culminate my senior year in a year-long research project. I would love to study abroad, though the timing may not work, and I may just visit museums abroad on my own, or take a gap year after graduating to travel. Immediately post-graduation, I don’t know where I’m going, though I would eventually like to receive my master’s degree and work in either museums, archives or libraries. I think I could be genuinely happy doing many different careers after graduation, and I trust that eventually I’ll find the right specific path for me.