{"id":110254,"date":"2026-05-05T11:53:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=110254"},"modified":"2026-05-15T12:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:44:11","slug":"museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/05\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\/","title":{"rendered":"Museum \u2018Magic\u2019 Fuels UMW Student\u2019s Career in Curation"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">Museum &lsquo;Magic&rsquo; Fuels UMW Student&rsquo;s Career in Curation<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-05T11:53:06-04:00\">May 5, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p>by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Sarah Hertz Mahoney<\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-attachment-id=\"110249\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/university-of-mary-washington-fredericksburg-vaapril-2025-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"University of Mary Washington \\nFredericksburg, VA\\nApril, 2025\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1744900873\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"28\",\"iso\":\"800\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"University of Mary Washington \\nFredericksburg, VA\\nApril, 2025\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;University of Mary Washington senior Makayla Bowman&amp;#8217;s college journey included a double major in anthropology and historic preservation, a minor in museum studies, presentations at regional conferences and internships geared toward a career in curation. Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Senior Makayla Bowman at the Fredericksburg Area Museum\" class=\"wp-image-110249\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/250417_umw_spring_branded-0526-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">University of Mary Washington senior Makayla Bowman&rsquo;s college journey included a double major in anthropology and historic preservation, a minor in museum studies, presentations at regional conferences and internships geared toward a career in curation. Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p>When her family moved to Northern Virginia, University of Mary Washington Honors student Makayla Bowman spent many a weekend exploring the Smithsonian museums in nearby Washington, D.C. The quiet power of those spaces &ndash; even at the age of seven &ndash; stirred something inside her.<\/p><p>&ldquo;After those magical museum visits,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I knew I didn&rsquo;t just want to learn about history. I wanted to tell it.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Now a senior double majoring in anthropology and historic preservation, she&rsquo;s learning to help others understand how the past shapes the present, while carving out her own future &ndash; a career in museum curation.<\/p><p>&ldquo;I love getting hands-on with artifacts and telling their stories,&rdquo; said Bowman, who also added a museum studies minor and completed internships at the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Gari Melchers Home and Studio. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about making history approachable, something everyone can see and understand.&rdquo;<\/p><p>She&rsquo;s worked on tours, exhibits and programming, and even participated in a medieval burial site excavation in Spain. As a student aide in UMW&rsquo;s Archaeology Laboratory and Simpson Library Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA), she co-curated an exhibit detailing the century-long history of the school&rsquo;s annual Devil-Goat Day tradition.<\/p><section class=\"image-gallery layout__block\">\n\t<div class=\"image-gallery__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main__track\" js-slideshow-track=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110240\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/processed-6cd08ecd-109b-4490-8d35-a9fcb6a2324e\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Makayla Bowman is a senior double majoring in anthropology and historic preservation with a minor in museum studies.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630-300x270.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630-1024x921.jpeg\" data-id=\"110240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Makayla Bowman standing in the library aisle with graduation robes and cords\" class=\"wp-image-110240\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110235\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/maaconferencepresentation\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman presents her mortuary archaeology research at the Mid-Atlantic Archaeology Conference in Gettysburg.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110235\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman at the podium with a presentation on the screen beside her\" class=\"wp-image-110235\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110236\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/cocuratedexhibitdevilgoatday\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1769013127\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.1\",\"iso\":\"160\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Titled &amp;#8220;One Hundred Years of Horns,&amp;#8221; this exhibit was developed by Bowman alongside fellow SCUA aide Clementine Worshek &rsquo;28 and was on display in UMW&amp;#8217;s Simpson Library. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"110236\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"An exhibit with artifacts from Bowman's co-curated exhibit for Devil-Goat Day\" class=\"wp-image-110236\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110238\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/archaeologylabaidecrossmendingglass\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1768990431\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.1\",\"iso\":\"125\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00833333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman mends glass while serving as a student aide in UMW&rsquo;s Archaeology Laboratory.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"110238\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman works at a table cross mending glass in an office\" class=\"wp-image-110238\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110239\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/spainexcavationpickaxe2024\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1917,1476\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 11\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1720681807\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"4.25\",\"iso\":\"40\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00819672131148\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman participated in a medieval burial site excavation in Spain in 2024.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662-300x231.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662-1024x788.jpg\" data-id=\"110239\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman holding a pick ax on an excavation in Spain\" class=\"wp-image-110239\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--previous\" aria-label=\"Previous\" js-prev>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M18.5 12H6M6 12L12 6M6 12L12 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--next\" aria-label=\"Next\" js-next>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M6 12H18.5M18.5 12L12.5 6M18.5 12L12.5 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails\" js-thumbnails-container=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails__track\" js-thumbnail-track>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 0 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110240\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/processed-6cd08ecd-109b-4490-8d35-a9fcb6a2324e\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Makayla Bowman is a senior double majoring in anthropology and historic preservation with a minor in museum studies.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630-300x270.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630-1024x921.jpeg\" data-id=\"110240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-6CD08ECD-109B-4490-8D35-A9FCB6A2324E-scaled-e1777989783630-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Makayla Bowman standing in the library aisle with graduation robes and cords\" class=\"wp-image-110240\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 1 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110235\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/maaconferencepresentation\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman presents her mortuary archaeology research at the Mid-Atlantic Archaeology Conference in Gettysburg.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110235\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/MAAConferencePresentation-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman at the podium with a presentation on the screen beside her\" class=\"wp-image-110235\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 2 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110236\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/cocuratedexhibitdevilgoatday\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1769013127\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.1\",\"iso\":\"160\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Titled &amp;#8220;One Hundred Years of Horns,&amp;#8221; this exhibit was developed by Bowman alongside fellow SCUA aide Clementine Worshek &rsquo;28 and was on display in UMW&amp;#8217;s Simpson Library. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"110236\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/CoCuratedExhibitDevilGoatDay-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"An exhibit with artifacts from Bowman's co-curated exhibit for Devil-Goat Day\" class=\"wp-image-110236\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 3 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110238\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/archaeologylabaidecrossmendingglass\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1768990431\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.1\",\"iso\":\"125\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00833333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman mends glass while serving as a student aide in UMW&rsquo;s Archaeology Laboratory.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"110238\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyLabAideCrossmendingGlass-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman works at a table cross mending glass in an office\" class=\"wp-image-110238\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 4 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110239\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/spainexcavationpickaxe2024\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1917,1476\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 11\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1720681807\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"4.25\",\"iso\":\"40\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00819672131148\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman participated in a medieval burial site excavation in Spain in 2024.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662-300x231.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662-1024x788.jpg\" data-id=\"110239\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/SpainExcavationPickaxe2024-scaled-e1777990174662-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman holding a pick ax on an excavation in Spain\" class=\"wp-image-110239\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description-container\" js-description-container>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Makayla Bowman is a senior double majoring in anthropology and historic preservation with a museum studies minor.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bowman presents her mortuary archaeology research at the Mid-Atlantic Archaeology Conference in Gettysburg.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Titled &ldquo;One Hundred Years of Horns,&rdquo; this exhibit was developed by Bowman alongside fellow SCUA aide Clementine Worshek &rsquo;28 and was on display in UMW&rsquo;s Simpson Library. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bowman mends glass while serving as a student aide in UMW&rsquo;s Archaeology Laboratory.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bowman participated in a medieval burial site excavation in Spain in 2024.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section><p>The exhibit, titled <em><a href=\"https:\/\/scuanews.umwsites.net\/2025\/12\/10\/one-hundred-years-of-horns\/\">One Hundred Years of Horns<\/a><\/em>, was developed by Bowman alongside fellow SCUA aide Clementine Worshek &rsquo;28. Together, the duo researched archival materials to showcase the long-standing rivalry between odd and even graduation years. The project was on display during the spring semester in UMW&rsquo;s Simpson Library.<\/p><p>Also president of the Humanities and Social Sciences Society, vice president of <em>Columns Academic Journal<\/em> and statistician for the women&rsquo;s volleyball team, Bowman credits much of her drive to mentors, like Associate Professor of Historic Preservation Cristina Turdean, who, she said, &ldquo;pushed me to reach higher.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Bowman&rsquo;s work has gained attention beyond campus as well. She presented mortuary archaeology research at the Mid-Atlantic Archaeology Conference in Gettysburg and participated in the National Preservation Institute&rsquo;s seminar on cultural landscapes in Fredericksburg. She also spoke about archival collections on a panel at the Virginia Association of Museums Conference in Williamsburg and represented UMW&rsquo;s Historic Preservation Department at the Edenton Preservation Symposium in North Carolina.<\/p><section class=\"image-gallery layout__block\">\n\t<div class=\"image-gallery__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main__track\" js-slideshow-track=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110244\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/processed-d1568004-8fdc-4857-b90e-50b825dc34fb\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,1877\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Makayla Bowman hopes to help others understand how the past shapes the present, while carving out her own future career in museum curation.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593-273x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593-931x1024.jpeg\" data-id=\"110244\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Bowman poses outdoors on campus with graduation robe and cords\" class=\"wp-image-110244\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110234\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/storagetostorytellingpanelvam\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.78\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16 Pro\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1773670922\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"6.76499986565\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman (far right) served on a panel at the Virginia Association of Museums Conference in Williamsburg.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110234\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman and three other panelists pose for a photo while sitting at a table\" class=\"wp-image-110234\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110232\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/varsityvolleyballstatisticians\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1758974220\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.71\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0181818181818\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman (right) poses with friends while volunteering as a statistician for the UMW women&amp;#8217;s volleyball team. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Three women smiling together in the Ron Rosner arena on campus\" class=\"wp-image-110232\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110233\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/vamcolonialwilliamsburg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1773588356\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.71\",\"iso\":\"32\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0018115942029\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman visited Williamsburg for the Virginia Association of Museums Conference where she was a panelist discussing archival collections.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110233\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman posing in front of a building in Williamsburg\" class=\"wp-image-110233\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110241\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/processed-9a9edbb1-a69e-446f-bb9b-8303fe5d7919\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;As a student aide in UMW&rsquo;s Archaeology Laboratory and Simpson Library Special Collections and University Archives, Bowman co-curated an exhibit detailing the century-long history of Devil-Goat Day.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-200x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-683x1024.jpeg\" data-id=\"110241\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"A display Bowman curated detailing Devil-Goat Day\" class=\"wp-image-110241\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110237\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/archaeologywashnights\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1771436560\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.71\",\"iso\":\"250\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman (right) helps host a Get Dirty, Go Wash Artifact Night where students &ndash; regardless of major &ndash; can gain experience washing artifacts in the lab while watching an archaeology-related film.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman gives the camera a thumbs up with students in the background are at tables in a classroom and movie is playing on a projection screen\" class=\"wp-image-110237\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--previous\" aria-label=\"Previous\" js-prev>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M18.5 12H6M6 12L12 6M6 12L12 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--next\" aria-label=\"Next\" js-next>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M6 12H18.5M18.5 12L12.5 6M18.5 12L12.5 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails\" js-thumbnails-container=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails__track\" js-thumbnail-track>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 0 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110244\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/processed-d1568004-8fdc-4857-b90e-50b825dc34fb\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,1877\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Makayla Bowman hopes to help others understand how the past shapes the present, while carving out her own future career in museum curation.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593-273x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593-931x1024.jpeg\" data-id=\"110244\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-D1568004-8FDC-4857-B90E-50B825DC34FB-scaled-e1777989814593-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Bowman poses outdoors on campus with graduation robe and cords\" class=\"wp-image-110244\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 1 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110234\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/storagetostorytellingpanelvam\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.78\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16 Pro\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1773670922\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"6.76499986565\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman (far right) served on a panel at the Virginia Association of Museums Conference in Williamsburg.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110234\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/StorageToStorytellingPanelVAM-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman and three other panelists pose for a photo while sitting at a table\" class=\"wp-image-110234\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 2 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110232\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/varsityvolleyballstatisticians\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1758974220\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.71\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0181818181818\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman (right) poses with friends while volunteering as a statistician for the UMW women&amp;#8217;s volleyball team. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VarsityVolleyballStatisticians-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Three women smiling together in the Ron Rosner arena on campus\" class=\"wp-image-110232\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 3 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110233\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/vamcolonialwilliamsburg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1773588356\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.71\",\"iso\":\"32\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0018115942029\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman visited Williamsburg for the Virginia Association of Museums Conference where she was a panelist discussing archival collections.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110233\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/VAMColonialWilliamsburg-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman posing in front of a building in Williamsburg\" class=\"wp-image-110233\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 4 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110241\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/processed-9a9edbb1-a69e-446f-bb9b-8303fe5d7919\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;As a student aide in UMW&rsquo;s Archaeology Laboratory and Simpson Library Special Collections and University Archives, Bowman co-curated an exhibit detailing the century-long history of Devil-Goat Day.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-200x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-683x1024.jpeg\" data-id=\"110241\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/processed-9A9EDBB1-A69E-446F-BB9B-8303FE5D7919-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"A display Bowman curated detailing Devil-Goat Day\" class=\"wp-image-110241\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 5 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110237\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/archaeologywashnights\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1771436560\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.71\",\"iso\":\"250\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bowman (right) helps host a Get Dirty, Go Wash Artifact Night where students &ndash; regardless of major &ndash; can gain experience washing artifacts in the lab while watching an archaeology-related film.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"110237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/ArchaeologyWashNights-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Bowman gives the camera a thumbs up with students in the background are at tables in a classroom and movie is playing on a projection screen\" class=\"wp-image-110237\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description-container\" js-description-container>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Makayla Bowman hopes to help others understand how the past shapes the present, while carving out her own future career in museum curation.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bowman (far right) served on a panel at the Virginia Association of Museums Conference in Williamsburg.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bowman (right) poses with friends while volunteering as a statistician for the UMW women&rsquo;s volleyball team. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bowman visited Williamsburg for the Virginia Association of Museums Conference where she was a panelist discussing archival collections.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As a student aide in UMW&rsquo;s Archaeology Laboratory and Simpson Library Special Collections and University Archives, Bowman co-curated an exhibit detailing the century-long history of Devil-Goat Day.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bowman (right) helps host a Get Dirty, Go Wash Artifact Night where students &ndash; regardless of major &ndash; can gain experience washing artifacts in the lab while watching an archaeology-related film.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section><p><\/p><p>At UMW&rsquo;s 2026 Commencement ceremony, Bowman received the Franz Boas Award for Public Engagement in Anthropology and the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc. Award in Honor of Prince B. Woodard as well as departmental honors in Anthropology and induction into Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board honor societies. <\/p><p>But all this work isn&rsquo;t just for her. Bowman&rsquo;s true hope is to dust off underrepresented stories and hold them up to the light, for all to see. &ldquo;History doesn&rsquo;t just live in the past &mdash; it lives in the people who preserve, interpret and share it,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the work I enjoy doing, and thanks to my time at UMW, I know I&rsquo;m ready to do it.&rdquo;<\/p><p><em>Makayla Bowman received the Cora Lee Kaufman Scholarship, Mary Siegrist Hinz &rsquo;81 Leadership Award and the Dovetail Cultural Resource Group Scholarship for History Preservation.<\/em><\/p><p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byWhen her family moved to Northern Virginia, University of Mary Washington Honors student Makayla Bowman spent many a weekend exploring the Smithsonian museums in nearby Washington, D.C. The quiet power of those spaces &ndash; even at the age of seven &ndash; stirred something inside her.&ldquo;After those magical museum visits,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I knew I didn&rsquo;t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5200,"featured_media":110260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[708,15651,15660,15380,15661],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-110254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-commencement","9":"tag-commencement-2026","10":"tag-senior-spotlight-2026","11":"tag-senior-stories","12":"tag-senior-story-2026","13":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Museum \u2018Magic\u2019 Fuels UMW Student\u2019s Career in Curation - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/05\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Museum \u2018Magic\u2019 Fuels UMW Student\u2019s Career in Curation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byWhen her family moved to Northern Virginia, University of Mary Washington Honors student Makayla Bowman spent many a weekend exploring the Smithsonian museums in nearby Washington, D.C. The quiet power of those spaces &ndash; even at the age of seven &ndash; stirred something inside her.&ldquo;After those magical museum visits,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I knew I didn&rsquo;t [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/05\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-05T15:53:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T16:44:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_SeniorStory1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Hertz Mahoney\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Hertz Mahoney\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/05\\\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/05\\\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sarah Hertz Mahoney\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca489a61d7afe14e7dc34df87cbafec2\"},\"headline\":\"Museum \u2018Magic\u2019 Fuels UMW Student\u2019s Career in Curation\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-05T15:53:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-15T16:44:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/05\\\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":771,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/05\\\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_SeniorStory1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Commencement\",\"Commencement 2026\",\"senior spotlight 2026\",\"Senior Stories\",\"senior story 2026\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/05\\\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/05\\\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/05\\\/museum-magic-fuels-umw-students-career-in-curation\\\/\",\"name\":\"Museum \u2018Magic\u2019 Fuels UMW Student\u2019s Career in Curation - 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