How it all began

I fell in love with museums at an early age. At some point in my childhood, my grandparents were watching the film Songcatcher (2000), and I was captivated by the story of folk music in Southern Appalachia. When we found out that I was distantly related to Tommy Jarrell, a famous local fiddle player, my grandmother took me to the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History to learn more.

From that initial visit, I was hooked! I took part in summer camps, after-school programs, and I am thankful to my parents and grandparents for supporting and cultivating those interests. When my fourth grade class visited the museum for a field trip, the docent informed the teacher that our group did not need a tour guide because they had me! 

When I turned 16 (and could drive myself), I started volunteering weekly at the museum. In a "full circle" moment, I was asked to serve as a gallery attendant for the New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street program. From there I went on to help staff the front desk; assist with collections projects; and help fabricate permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits within the museum.

Outside of the museum, I always had a passion for mechanical devices, especially cars. My father, two grandfathers, and two uncles were mechanics, and I grew up working on all sort of vehicles. When I started thinking about college, I decided to pursue an Engineering Degree at North Carolina State University. After taking all of the necessary introductory, math, and physics classes, I realized that most of modern engineering was done using computer-aided design and modeling, and that my interests were more along the lines of historic machinery.

When I started re-accessing my career goals, I thought about my work at the Mount Airy Museum and decided to talk with the director (and my mentor), Matt Edwards. I asked him if museums were a viable career path, and he encouraged me to pursue it. From that point forward, I have never looked back!

I graduated from NC State in 2015 with a Bachelor's of Science in History, and began the next phase of my museum journey. I married my college sweetheart in 2017, and we have moved from state to state for her education and career in paleontology. 

After beginning as a volunteer over 14 years ago, I have worked for 10 different institutions in 3 different states. Throughout my career, I have worked in almost every aspect of the museum field: education, research, collections management, curation, exhibit design and fabrication, outreach, and administration. This experience has led me to develop a passion for getting museum visitors and the general public excited about local history, and for finding new ways to help small museums succeed.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my museum experiences, and I look forward to what the next 14 years might bring!

To learn more about my journey please explore the "Projects" pages or take a look at my Resume.