Graphic that says The Polar Bear Treasure Keepers

Do your summer vacation plans include exploring an art or history museum, national park, zoo or aquarium?

At renowned sites across the country, from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in D.C. to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Ohio Northern University alumni are working behind-the-scenes to ensure visitors have amazing encounters with history, art, culture, wildlife, and nature.

It鈥檚 not a job for these Polar Bears, it鈥檚 an avocation.

We invited 13 cultural heritage professionals to share their stories, and asked how Ohio Northern helped propel them to top positions as keepers of the nation鈥檚 treasures.

Here鈥檚 what they said:

  • Inside and outside the classroom, they learned to problem solve and think critically and creatively; skills they use every day in their careers.
  • They were encouraged to pursue their diverse interests; doing so turned them into lifelong learners.
  • 青青草视频 opened doors to professional networks and impactful internships; these led to greater opportunities after graduation.
  • Faculty mentors inspired them to be genuine, confident, and to dream big; they did, and now they鈥檙e living their dream with careers they love.

From coast to coast, learn about the important work these 青青草视频 alumni are doing for current and future generations by clicking on each story link.

@ Smithsonian鈥檚 National Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C.

Exhibit Designer Ashley Dally Hornish, BFA 鈥04.

鈥淎s a space enthusiast, I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid, so I love being able to geek out on all the space stuff.鈥

Graphic Composit of Ashley

@Atomic Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada

Deputy Director and Curator Joseph Kent, BA 鈥10

鈥淲hile I am fascinated by the topic of nuclear weapons testing, my passion comes from a desire to make history鈥攅specially something quite challenging to discuss鈥攁ccessible to the public.鈥

Graphic Composit of Joseph

@Andrew Jackson Hermitage, Nashville, Tennessee

Public Programs Coordinator Josi Lieb, BA 鈥20

鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible responsibility to help personalize the past for people. When history is human, people bring more heart into understanding and learning from it.鈥

Graphic Composit of Josi

@ DC History Center, Washington D.C.

Senior Manager of Collections Autumn Kalikin, BA 鈥14

鈥淎rchives and museum collections feel literally alive to me. I approach collections as organic and growing beings deserving of care and autonomy.鈥

Graphic Composit of Autumn

@North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina

Director of Museum Park Rachel (Powers) Woods, BS 鈥01

鈥淭hroughout my life I have enjoyed finding the beauty and correlations between art and nature.鈥

Graphic Composit of Rachel

@Dayton Art Institute

Director and President Michael Roediger, BA 鈥90

鈥淚 get to lead one of the finest art museums in the country and be around incredible art. And I am the first native Daytonian to ever lead the museum. What is there not to be passionate about?!鈥

Graphic Composit of Michael

@Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus, Ohio

Supervisor, Wild Encounters Africa,听Kaylee Franklin, BS '10

鈥淚 love building relationships with animals, and I am passionate about training. Through positive reinforcement training, we have been able to do some incredible things like teaching an otter to swim and having 10 cheetahs participate in a voluntary EKG heart study.鈥

Graphic Composit of Kaylee

@Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Education Program Manager Margo Roseum, BSBA 鈥15

鈥淭he National Parks have been called 鈥楢merica鈥檚 Greatest Idea鈥 and I get to be part of the 鈥榓ha moments鈥 of students discovering the joy of the natural world.鈥

Graphic Composit of Margo

@Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana

President and CEO Jody Blankenship, BA 鈥00

鈥淚t鈥檚 a tremendous responsibility to be charged with documenting, preserving, and making accessible, our history. Future generations will rely on these collections and scholarship that we are creating today to understand their world.鈥

Graphic Composit of Jody

@The Children鈥檚 Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana

Vice President of Experience Development and Family Learning Monica Ramsey, BFA 鈥01

"Our vision to听help kids see their potential in the world gets me going; if we can show children the many ways they can help get us to Mars or recreate a place in Thailand or Peru that shows how children听like them are different in ways that don鈥檛听feel so distant 鈥 that鈥檚 the听best.鈥

Graphic Composit of Monica

@Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois

Senior Director of Guest Relations Heather McLaren, BA 鈥03

鈥淓very ticket we sell and every guest we help connect to nature supports our blue planet and the animals we share it with.鈥

Graphic Composit of Heather

@Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois听

Constituent Services Team Lead Erica Gabel, BA 鈥17

鈥淚 really love the animals here and the fact I am playing a small part in Shedd鈥檚 mission toward conservation.鈥

Graphic Composit of Erica

@Medici Museum of Art, Howland, Ohio

Executive Director Katelyn Amendolara-Russo, BFA 鈥11

鈥淚 love educating people about the arts, making it fun and relatable to everyday life, and ultimately cultivating the appreciation for the arts and the role it plays in our lives.鈥

Graphic Composit of Katelyn