Senior Projects

The other day, I was telling Dr. Urbano about how I have noticed a lot of the women at the museum I work with dress very similar, not identical, but we all own a lot of the same pieces. So, I have coined the term, “museum core,” (I’ve actually bought a patent, so if you try to steal it, you are a goner!). Now, you may be wondering what is museum core, well I have your answer. OK, so imagine the way Mrs. Bryan and Ms. Barenkamp (RIP, you aren’t dead, but you are now in TFS former teacher heaven) dress. Lots of sweaters, boots, clogs, jeans, linen, that’s like how we all dress, and I say we because I have adopted this look as well. Personally, I have always admired Mrs. Bryan’s and Ms. Barenkamp’s style so I have no problem with this. It is professional, but also very comfortable. So, here are some staple pieces of museum core: denim shirts worn as shirts or as jackets over tank tops, plain tank tops and / or t-shirts in cotton materials, sweaters SO MANY SWEATERS, cardigans either worn open over tanks and dresses or fully buttoned as a shirt, wide leg or straight leg pants, I occasionally see skinny cut pants, but rarely. The pants can be denim, cargo, khakis, trousers, anything. Linen, linen everything: linen tops, linen dresses, linen jumpsuits, but especially linen pants. I own two pairs, one in white and one in an oatmeal color, they are fantastic. They feel like sweatpants, but still look put together, and in the summer they keep you cool and are really lightweight and breathable. I got one from Target, the other originally came from Target, but my mom found thrifting. Button ups are a staple, fun pants as in like a bright color or pattern, midi / maxi dresses and skirts. For shoes, it is pretty varied some wear flats, some wear boots heeled or flat, some wear birkenstocks the sandals or Boston Clogs, some wear tennis shoes like Adidas sambas, reeboks, vans, or converse. The other big thing is to decorate your lanyard with pins and buttons that show off your personality and things you like. Right now, I only have two. One I purchased from the gift shop that says “Museum Nerd” the other is the “I heart TFS” button. I plan on getting a George Michael / Wham one, a “Freaks and Geeks” one, a Bill and Ted one, two cherries on a stem, Bart Simpson, hopefully saying, “Ay Caramba!”, and one with my pronouns on it. I was looking for a she/her pin at the gift shop, but they only had he/him and they/thems! Anyways, this is museum core. I can’t really say that there is as distinct of a look for the male employees, but a lot of them wear plaid button ups, jeans, cargos, and suits. Sort of like Mr. Kickham, Dr. Urbano, Dr. Hurwitz, and Dr. Austin! None of them really dress like Mr. Mitchell, though, I guess you are just too unique of an individual, and it makes sense because you hate the humanities departments! Which gets me thinking, does each niche department have their own core? Is there a Science Center / STEM core and if so what is it? Does English major core differ from history major core and does that differ from political science major core and does that differ from anthropology core? So, many fashion related questions, it’s gonna make me start vogue-ing like Madonna! Also, side note apparently my dad loves Madonna, Lady Gaga, and now likes Taylor Swift since he listened to “You Belong with Me,” (he said it reminded him of when he was first trying to get my mom to go out with him, back in the day). He also knows how to vogue and I am trying to challenge him to a dance battle, but he won’t accept! Is he scared or too powerful?!

I can’t believe it is already going into week three! My mom told me that there are only 48 days until graduation, which is crazy to think about! Anyways, here is what my week will look like ahead and then also just some feelings about the project so far in general. So, Tuesday I have museum babies and then the rest of the afternoon we will all get to hear a talk from a graduate student, Joe Thurman, on Black Missourians in STEM. Wednesday, I will be in the kids’ clubhouse again for the parent and me event, then I have another training presentation by the same person who did the LGBTQ conversations on handling tough conversations. Thursday I will be at the Key Bistro, then either at the front desk greeting or surveying people, and then helping out with the night program. Friday, I have a short day and get off at 2:00, but that is History Exploration Day for kids and school groups, so I will be helping out with that. And then I am also working Saturday for history exploration day and then later that night for the Threads Gala, which I am soooo excited for! Basically, they have 10 fashion designers from St. Louis create a fashion piece based on a historical clothing item from the collection, there’s a fashion show, dinner, auctions, and speakers that night. Normally it costs $250, but employees get to go for free. The theme for the event is “BOLD” so wear anything bold in color, pattern, or silhouette. I am going to wear this sparkly black / gray ish jumpsuit, short white go-go boots, and then I am gonna do sparkly blue eyeshadow with white eyeliner and blue mascara and a red lip. I am going to also try to feather my hair, but we will see if it works or not! 

Overall, I have loved being on my senior project. I was telling my mom that it honestly doesn’t feel real that I am working there. It makes me feel so adult and sometimes I’m like “wow, this isn’t actually my job. I’m not actually 22, I’m 17 and I haven’t even graduated yet.” It’s crazy to think about and it almost just feels like I have been dreaming and that I am just sleepwalking through life, but I’m not and it’s very real, and I am really so lucky to get this opportunity. I also thought that since I am 17, I would get a lot of people, not a lot, but some, who would be like, “Oh, do you even know what you’re talking about?!” but not a single person has done that. Everyone has treated me like an actual adult with a ton of respect and kindness. And I think a lot of people thought that I was out of highschool and just working there, LOL and when I said I was still in highschool they were like “WHAT?!”

It’s also been cool just meeting new people and having a completely fresh start. I think it’s cool that at TFS we have all known each other so well and for so long, but at the same time, it’s nice to go somewhere, where no one has any past judgments about you and you just get a fresh start. And it feels really good to feel well liked there for just being me, too. I kind of got a feeling that a few people found me annoying, too much, and just didn’t like me for my “new personality” when really my true personality was just showing through. It definitely hurt to be kind of squashed down, told to change, and just called some pretty nasty things like a liar and to have my character called into question, when I know exactly who I am and have been for the past four years of highschool, for the past almost two decades at TFS, by people who know who I am as well. All I know is that I never want to make a person feel like they need to suppress who they really are to fit into some standard mold. It’s one thing to be told to be quieter and tone down some stuff (which I agree with, there were times I was really loud and disruptive) but to be called things like a liar, rude, a bad person, and weak is awful to hear when you know you aren’t those things. I know for a fact if there ever was a behavioral issue with anyone at the History Museum they would never say those things and handle it very professionally, but also with humanity, courtesy, and compassion. And that is the kind of environment I want to be in.

I guess all I can say is it feels good to feel liked, accepted, and wanted, and really when it comes down to it that’s all people really want in life, and that’s why we try to get ourselves to fit to these objective molds that someone (probably an old, rich, white dude, let’s be honest) puts on us. It’s just stupid. So, to be accepted, liked, and wanted for who you truly are and to be able to happily coexist with other true individuals who are their complete selves feels just really amazing. And all I have to say for those little rascals (not the cute little kids) who try to crush your spirit and tear you down is that they do that because they see you being yourself, and they are probably insecure of themselves, so to make themselves feel better they try to make another feel how they feel on the inside, but it doesn’t make them feel any better, it just makes them feel worse, and then they think the answer is to continue berating people. If you want to feel good about yourself, then lift someone else up (Joe had this engraved on a dog tag necklace for one of his senior gifts from our parents and I want to do the same, but with a different quote). Tearing someone down is never the answer.

I think that Maya Angelou quote is true, (if any of you don’t know Maya Angelou, I may sue someone, and Ruthie and Maddy are basically lawyers now, so….), but it’s the one where she’s like, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel,” is exactly true. I am not gonna forget the few people who made me feel awful about myself and tried to chain me down. It could only be one person who does this to you in your life, but you will never forget it because it will have a huge impact on you and your thought process for the rest of your life. But I am also never going to forget the many people who have lifted me up in the TFS community and beyond. And from both of those lessons, the good and the bad, I know that I never want to make someone feel that they need to hide or suppress their true selves. I want everyone I encounter to feel confident in showing me their true selves and giving me their honest opinions because that is what I want to give to people as well. Sorry to get all “kumbaya,” sappy, philosophical on you with this one, but it’s just been on my mind since the first week and I thought it was worth sharing.

This week was busier! As the Golf pros started to get more comfortable with having me do more extensive jobs, it became busier and more impactful! Here’s what I did Tuesday through Friday. Tuesday was a freezing day, so the weather was not very good. There were only 18 members on the tee sheet to come out and play that day. When only a few members play golf, the staff gets much more done regarding paperwork, clothing, and other merchandise invoices. I helped unbox some shipments that certain club members had ordered. I also helped tidy up the shop by vacuuming- a tremendous cordless vacuum! That day was slow, so I started folding some old towels after lunch. Wednesday, I had a new project. Head golf director Joe, the pro, had me fold five boxes of old towels and put them into boxes with old shipments and reusable containers. I got a lot of towels folded, so much so that everyone was so impressed in the golf shop! The team is so comfortable with me that they call me “Clarke the intern” from The Office, which is pretty funny if you ask me. Anyway, came Thursday; I was not feeling the greatest that day, but I helped with more boxes of towels and cleaning up the back office rooms to see what was messy and needed tidying up. Then, the last day, Friday, Today was probably one of the busiest days of the week. This morning, Golf Pro Adam gave me another big project: sorting through a mess of hangers that sometimes need to be sorted through buy color and not mixed up when doing orders for customers. I started organizing all the hangers by color and essentially by the brand or style of the hanger. Then I sorted those in piles, taking them and putting rubber bands on them to keep them neat. Then, I put the bins in the correct spots. Then I went out in the afternoon with Gold pro-Jim and Jordan and checked on some birdhouses displayed throughout each golf course, Lewis and Clark and Tavern Creek. Some of them had nothing. Some had six to eight eggs; it was cool to hear about the type of bird that lay there. Then I helped with some other little things like checking orders and such. That was my week; I hope you enjoyed it!

Monday and Wednesday: Lifetime West County shadowing Chris Lichtenberger.

A: Monday – Some General stuff.

B: Wednesday – Global manager call from 11:30 – 12:30

1. 148 clubs, more than 100 managers.
2. 800 thousand memberships registered in March: outstanding month.
3. Quote: What people are capable of < What people are willing to do.
4. Some data, goals , and problems after general review of the month.
5. Some managers shared their tips: Mainly about the deep connection with members and members’ points of view.
6. Some successful events: 1. Partnership weekly meeting: get involved. 2. Trivia nights at LifeTime WestCounty. 3. Seminars on vitamins, protein powder selling.
7. General stuff.

C: From 1- 2pm – Lululemon call

1. LifeTime – Lululemon 15 years partnership.
2. Brand identity of both company: Healthy, active life style.
3. Despite middle age people, they both care about younger ones and 65+ old dudes.
4. LifeTime – More about training courses and gym, while appearances and accessories on side (LifeShop).
5. Lululemon – More about the clothing, the brand, while also includes memberships events like peloton and yoga courses.
6. LifeTime do not discount, like Tesla. Possibly for brand identity.
7. Coop like Lifetime yoga courses with Lululemon shirts, or with both logos.

D: Because of age issue, I can only do some operational stuff.

1. I will try to be a towel folder. Be the best towel folder and try if my abilities can earn like a fake promotion like thing.

Tue – Fri: I finished Coursera Finance / Accounting. The course is alright, Quizzes are hard and questions in there are AI proof. I tried that one quiz for N times. and stuck at 60%. Finally I got 80% with the help from the comment session. Too many people struggle on that one quiz too.

I started another course called Learning how to learn.

Friday:

Alrighty, this will be a shorter post, since Friday was a bit more simple than some of my other days, where I was running around a lot more. I will also post some photos from throughout the week, down below. And then on Sunday, I will post my plan for the upcoming week and my thoughts on the experience so far. I feel like this posting schedule is a lot better than the big chunk ones. I worked from 9:00-4:00 and the first thing I did was help set up for the kids’ storytime and then just worked in the clubhouse until noon. I love working in the clubhouse, the kids are so cute and I just get to basically walk around, chat, and hand out stickers, that’s like the perfect job! The new theme for this week is the environment, nature, and the solar system because of the upcoming eclipse, so Maggie read some books about Ellen Ochoa, the sun, and the entire universe. The sun book was pretty funny, the sun just bragged about how great he was, how planets were soooo attracted to him, and how mysterious he was. I told Emily, “Wow! He is just like Edward Cullen from “Twilight”,” and yes, she did laugh! After that, the kids made a space helmet coloring craft (I don’t have any pictures because my phone was dead, rip, literally.) Then I just walked around the clubhouse and picked stuff up, sadly we aren’t putting stickers out because some naughty kids stuck them to the floor! There was this really cute little girl who crawled into one of these big cushion chairs we have that are shaped like a flower and she would hide her face in her hair and then peek out and I would wave and she would smile. It was really cute, I think she was only about 1 or 2 years old. Then she was sitting by the book shelf, so I came and sat down next to her and read a couple books to her. Her name was Adele and she was such a sweetie, she was quiet because I think she was shy, but you could tell she was really smart and aware of what she was doing and me as a reader. Her mom is French and has a very strong accent, and worked as a military doctor in the intensive care unit in France, where she met her American husband, they lived there for a while and both girls were born there, then they came to St. Louis so he could get his PhD at WashU. So, it’s pretty cool to see the international connections at the museum as well as the domestic and hometown ones and just around the St. Louis area as well. I really love working in the clubhouse because it’s just fun! It would be practically impossible to not smile (I am sure stone cold stoic Dobby could manage the epic feat, though)! It’s also really cool to see the kids focused, engaged, and clearly learning. Today, I heard a little voice in the corner during story time and this little girl, maybe 3 or 4, was counting these things on the wall, then saying their color, and then saying if they were big or small. The museum’s approach to early childhood education is very similar to Montessori values and TFS, which is just really cool. I think it is just so special to witness a child learn, be curious, and want to find out why things are the way they are, and these programs that the museum offers are a great stepping stone into it. It’s just beautiful to be apart of this really intimate thing of a child discovering the world for the first time and it just makes me want to be a mom so bad! But do not worry that is not happening until I am at least 25, have a husband, steady job, and out of graduate school. I could definitely see myself going into early childhood education or something in the educational world in a museum for sure, though.

At 1:00, I met Erin Ray, who is the Visitor Experience Manager (who I sort of already met, but didn’t talk to at length, yet) to cover the responsibilities of working the front desk. She just went over the responsibilities and different things to do in case of an emergency, injury, or anything else. After that, I worked with Jenny at one of the desks for 1 hour. She is really sweet and we also just walked through a few galleries to maker sure there wasn’t any trash in them. Then from 3:00-4:00 I worked the front desk with Aslyn. It wasn’t too busy so we just chatted and she told me about an exhibit she’s curating on women in the World’s Fair and it sounded really cool. I also met another girl, (I forgot her name, but she has short blonde hair and it maybe started with an “L” or a “J”) who was really sweet. I also talked with Janelle (I think that was her name, I don’t know I was so excited I only slept like 5 hours last night and it shows) who works the desks and she actually went to Chesterfield Day School with the Fulton kids and was friends with Elizabeth! She said she grew up like a few houses over from them, what a coincidence! After that, I was done working, but I introduced myself to Jason who also works the front desk and went to the gift shop to buy some stickers and a pin for my lanyard and chatted with Jonathon.

Also, can’t remember if I mentioned this in the last post, but I keep running into people I have met before on school trips. I have seen Jason from the Historical Society twice, but haven’t gotten the chance to say hi. There was also this Inidian woman who looked really familiar, like she may have been a friend of my aunt’s or a parent at TFS. And then last night, I saw this one lady, and I gave her a flyer, and I said, “Do I know you? You look so familiar!” and she goes, “Hmmm, I don’t know, but I feel like you look familiar, too. Maybe we just have those kinds of faces!” And as she walked off it hit me like a wrecking ball (Miley Cyrus reference!) it was a lady who curated an exhibited on Medieaval art at the CAM and we met her last year on a field trip for Global Middle Ages with Mrs. Bryan. I think her name was Hannah, maybe? She has shortish blonde hair, blue eyes, medium, height, young, and pretty thin. It’s just so funny to me that I am running into all these people and also really cool!

And then the other day, I didn’t get to introduce myself, but I said hi and welcomed Jody (not Foster) Sowell who is the president and CEO of the museum. He is really nice and appears in their TV commercials! Now, that I have that fully written, I feel like I did mention that, previously? Who knows! It’s been really great and I am looking forward to another week here and meeting some more new people. I was gonna upload pictures, but I am too lazy, so I will put some in on Sunday, maybe, don’t hold me to it!

These days I continued working on my project. Steve, the main lead of the Ronin project helped me work through what mGRS data was and how to a server should serve one function opposed to rendering and calculations. I spent all day Thursday working through one single error the whole day. Currently my front end application runs through a node server and the javascript of the webpage sends a request to a python endpoint that calculates the data. I tried to work through the error that was occurring which turned out to be the formatting of the directory which I eventually fixed later that day. Also, in solving the error I ended up making it worse because I tried to organize my files in a certain manner.

The first three days of week 2 for my project went well. I created a new python server using flask that that intakes data from the front end webpage and converts it to mGRS data and sends it back. During this time the server also rendered the webpage which I later learned wasn’t optimal. This took the vast majority of these days as I ran into some errors that took a while to work through.

To draft the demand letters I talked about in my last post, I used Worldox, CollectMax, and ProLaw. I found their file on CollectMax with their account number, saved the edited documents to Worldox and printed them. I then used ProLaw to docket five weeks from the day I drafted them to notify the attorney to check for a response from the debtor. I then gave the documents to the attorney to review and sign before I copied them and sent them out. Today I drafted about 20 letters and copied and sent out about 40 which took the entire day.

This week I worked on drafting and sending out demand letters for a Collectors attorney in the office. The letter holds two pages, one notifying the person in how much they are in debt for. The second gives them the letter to return to Riezman Berger (RB) with their choice of how to move forward. Most of these people are in debt for unpaid cars or credit cards and sometimes multiple of both. If they don’t contact RB within five weeks, the attorney will file a lawsuit suing them for however much money they owe.

Second half of this week has been the most uneventful thus far, this update’s gonna be a little dry since I’m leaving today for college stuff (don’t worry I cleared it with my employers lol). I should hopefully get back to doing renovations soon though!