Throughout this semester, I have had the opportunity to delve into an area of art history that personally interests me, using my own curiosities to guide my research. This is how I imagine all professors plan and design their courses—with their own passions serving as the foundation for their lectures. As a student, I have so often focused on balancing my own coursework and extracurriculars that I forget the amount of work and energy professors put into their lectures; skimming a reading has meant an extra hour of sleep, and skipping class has equated to extra time to catch up on work. But, for a professor, students skimming readings leads to decreased engagement and skipping classes results in less participation. When I lectured on Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art (as featured in the photo!), I felt extremely grateful for the handful of students who responded to my reflection questions on representation and those who shared their analyses on a comparison between Dutch and Indonesian portraiture. It feels awkward—almost uncomfortable—to stand in front of 40 to 50 students in silence, waiting for someone to speak up. This experience has changed the way I approach class discussions; I feel more inclined now to engage with the professors and reciprocate the amount of effort they have put into the course, now knowing what it feels like to be on the other end.

Yet, what I have found most valuable about the CUTF experience is my relationship with Dr. Michelle McCoy. I used to view research, academic endeavors, and personal projects as key parts of my professional journey, but I have grown to value the mentorship and relationships that I foster more. I am confident that I will succeed and excel—to some degree and in some facet—at whatever I set out on, but as my time as an undergraduate student wraps up, these pursuits feel temporal, as if they are parts of myself I leave behind at Pitt. However, I know that my relationship with Dr. McCoy will continue beyond my time as a student and that there will always be someone supporting and rooting for me in the field of art history. It has been a pleasure to have not only been her student, but to also have collaborated with her to expand the breadth of Asian art in HAA 0020: Intro to Asian Art. And, although I will be pursuing my MD/PhD at Ohio State next year, I hope to not abandon my love for art history. I envision myself regularly perusing the works at the Columbus Museum of Art and the Wexner Center for the Arts, potentially even volunteering as a docent! My passion for understanding the humanity of art history will always remain a central part of my work and my identity.