Bucknell Humanities Center

The BHC and the Center for Career Advancement (CCA) hosted two career panels during Arts & Humanities week (March 23–27th). On Monday, there was a G.L.A.M.-orous Arts & Humanities Career Panel, moderated by Bucknell University Archivist and Director, Special Collections, Susan Falciani Maldonado, who welcomed alumni working in fields of galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (hence “GLAM”). 

Held in person, students, faculty and zoom-ers were able to hear from the alumni on how their education and experiences both in the ’Burg and beyond have adequately prepared them for their professions. Zooming in from all across the Northeast, we were joined by alumni Corrine Brandt ’11, Art Bridges Cohort Project Manager, Delaware Art Museum (Majors: History, Music, Minor in British Literature); Emma Grahn ’12, Director, Civic Innovation Lab at the Bill of Rights Institute (Majors: History, Political Science); Haley Lesnevich ’19, Travel Consultant, L&S Travel (formerly with Holocaust Museum & Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion) (Majors: Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, History) and Doneeca Thurston-Chavez ’12, Executive Director, Lynn Museum & Historical Society (Major: History, Minors in Sociology & Religious Studies). 

Amidst the Trump Administration’s drawdown on education, history preservation, and access to information, panelists encouraged students to continue pursuing work in these fields, stressing that now more than ever, documenting and preserving work is essential. 

Spread across a wide variety of fields, each alumna also emphasized the importance of gaining experience through internships, volunteering and even local involvement in Lewisburg. As with many fields, operating through the world of art requires a strong network which is often curated through experience. While some opportunities are unpaid, students were advised to not let that discourage them, especially if they foresee financial constraints in doing so as Bucknell has programs that provide funding for students to conduct research as well as work in non-profit organizations which students should take advantage of. Additionally, through Bison@work, students can gain paid experience working with G.L.A.M. spots on campus such as the University’s Special Collections and University Archives, both locations of the university’s Samek Museum and the Bertrand Library. 

For seniors gearing to leave Lewisburg in the upcoming months, fear not, because life beyond Bucknell can still be G.L.A.M.-orous. Students are also encouraged to reach out to the panelists via LinkedIn or Sarah Bell (Director, Career Readiness and Education) for any follow up questions, concerns or coffee chats about getting more involved in work in G.L.A.M.

The second panel on Thursday, part of CCA’s Creative Career Conversations series, featured Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett, co-founders of “The World According to Sound,” a 90-second podcast and touring live audio experience all about sound — an amazing, ear-opening experience — for a lunch discussion about their career paths that led them to radio and podcast production. 

Chris Hoff, a Classics major graduate from Cornell University, began his journey in radio and podcast production through volunteering and reporting for KALW News’ Crosscurrents show in 2006. Shortly after, he worked as an engineer and a freelance translator in Berlin for several years.

Sam Harnett, an English major graduate from Middlebury College, worked in public radio, where he covered labor, inequality and the so-called tech industry for KQED. During that time, his work was featured regularly on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, The World and other nationally-syndicated radio programs, many of which he finds increasingly problematic. 

The two, joined by students, gathered around a table in Hildreth-Mirza Hall, to discuss the ways radio contributes meaningfully to the arts — especially in the emergence of AI. Often forgotten, radio is an essential means of communication and expression. From smaller projects on Bucknell’s very own WVBU-FM, which provides a space for student run shows, curated playlists and full-season coverage of Bucknell Women’s Basketball, to larger scale projects on local radio stations, they talked about the importance of human voices and stories in radio as well as how AI is changing the way humans communicate. One of their take-home messages was that we don’t always know the twists and turns of a career in advance but that it’s hard to go wrong pursuing something that interests and challenges us. Their bold choice to strike out on their own with their touring sound experience is a case in point.

Later in the evening, they would continue the discussion in depth at their talk on the “Myths and Metaphors of AI” (based on their two-part audio documentary).