William & Mary

Washington Center

Fall 2011 Program Scholars

	Laura Conte '12 Laura Conte is a rising senior and an art history major at the College. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in curatorial studies upon graduation and has ambitions to work as a curator in a museum in a big city. Her interests in art history are focused in 19^th century American artists and museum culture. She studied abroad over the summer in Florence, Italy. Perhaps influenced by her family and heritage, she also studies Italian and enjoys listening to contemporary Italian music. In her free time, Laura enjoys spending time with friends, working out, and planning her next trip abroad to go see Gothic architecture in all corners of Europe. She has previously interned with the Taubman Museum of Art in her hometown of Roanoke, Virginia as well as with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She’s really excited to spend the semester in Washington and experience the big city life, take in the museums, and all the opportunities DC has to offer.
	Erik Harrington '12 Erik Harrington, a senior at William and Mary, is a history major and an art history minor. Since he is interested in the connections between history and art, he volunteers at the Muscarelle Museum in Williamsburg and has dedicated last summer to researching Baroque Naples for the museum. He studied abroad at St. Andrews in Scotland and also got the chance to travel around Western Europe. Aside from Scotland and Williamsburg, he has also lived in Vienna, Oakton and Fairfax, Virginia and was born in Arlington, Virginia. While he is fascinated with both history and art history and willing to sacrifice sleep to watch an Arsenal match, he also enjoys travel and trying new things. Of all of his travels, he liked visiting Rome the most. He scouts out for historical sites and art museums wherever his travels find him. While he is open to almost any style and period of art, he enjoys the art from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque periods the most.
	Mallory Meaney '12 Mallory Meaney is a rising senior art history and history double major at the College. She is particularly interested in pre-Columbian, and colonial art and hopes to continue studying at the graduate level. She is actively involved in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, and the College’s club water polo team. She serves in leadership positions in both organizations as VP Recruitment for Alpha Chi Omega, and President of the water polo team. She also spends time volunteering at the Muscarelle Museum of Art located on William and Mary’s campus. She is currently researching the Muscarelle’s collection of colonial portraits. Mallory is from Columbus, Ohio and spends most of her free time swimming, watching movies, and finding fun new activities to try.
	Jessica Pierson ‘12 Jessica is a rising senior art history and literary and cultural studies double major at the College. She is actively involved in the Nu Rho chapter of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, and is a member of the Special Events Committee of Alma Mater Productions (AMP), the primary campus-wide programming board of the College. She also works at Creative Services editing the William and Mary website and at the Alumni House working weddings, conferences, and other events both run by the College and outside organizations. In her spare time, Jessica likes to indulge in her three loves: coffee, music, and good books.
	Addie Schafer '13 A rising junior at the College, Jennifer “Addie” Schafer is pursuing her B.A. in both English and theatre, and plans to receive her Master’s in Education at the College as well. Her career goals include keeping performing arts prevalent, eventually teaching high school or younger children of the next generation, and keeping service as a part of her career path. Jennifer works part-time as the campus coordinator for the local t-shirt business Williamsburg Graphics which helps her coordinate with a majority of the community and student body. She keeps rooted with service trips and event planning for charity events, such as a 12-hour Dance Marathon which the College began last year. She enjoys working with children and working hard on any task given to her, putting in an extra effort to go above and beyond the task at hand.
	Kelly Shin '12 Kelly Shin is a rising senior psychology major and art history minor from Seoul, Korea. An alumna of the Madeira School in McLean, VA, Kelly interned in Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for a year during high school, which contributed significantly to her interest in a career as a curator. She has studied abroad in Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, through William and Mary programs. She found her study abroad experience in China particularly fascinating not only for learning the language but also for communicating with a different culture by traveling and spending time with Chinese friends and professors. Kelly also participated in Buddy Art, which is a program that helps treat children with disabilities through art therapy. Additionally, Kelly is a member of “I love Britney Spears Club", a group created in her women's studies CAP project. In her free time, Kelly likes to chat with friends, run around campus and Colonial Williamsburg, and read newspapers and magazines.
	Julia Sobieraj '13 Julia Sobieraj is a sculpture major and women studies minor at the College. She is an active member of SEAC (the Student Environmental Action Coalition), and she is a new member of the Phi Mu Women’s Fraternity. On most days, Julia spends her time happily working away in the studio, exploring her interest in sculpting the human form as well as abstracted objects. She is currently studying German and hopes to attend graduate school in Berlin. In her free time, she usually runs and is hoping to participate in the 2011 Chicago Marathon in her hometown. Julia plans on pursuing an art-related career upon graduation.
	Danielle Vartabedian '12 Danielle is a rising senior at the college and an anthropology and art history double major. On campus she is Vice President of Public Relations of the Kappa Delta sorority and treasurer of the Alan Bukzin Memorial Bone Marrow Drive. She works as a lifeguard at the student recreation center and has an internship at Yorktown’s Watermen’s Museum, where she is currently working on marketing and educational programs for Girl Scouts. Danielle hails from Virginia Beach and spends the majority of her time on break either in the water or on the sand. She loves sunny days, spending time with friends, traveling, and drinking iced coffee.