It’s crazy that we’re wrapping up our second to last week of the fellowship! This summer at CMA has truly flown by. This week, I began wrapping up my projects and prepping for the final presentation for next week’s closing luncheon. I also spent a good amount of time with my fellow fellows in and outside of our professional development sessions! 

Since we are beginning official prep for College Night, I spent a lot of time confirming logistical details this week. I confirmed the photobooth rental, DJ service by OSU’s DJ Club, mocktail outdoor bar with our Special Events department, and social media content plan to promote the event. This week, I met with Meghan (Advancement Operations Manager) and Rachel (Museum Store Assistant Manager) for 1-on-1 chats. Meghan was able to connect me with several individuals in development at OSU to learn more about fundraising at a higher education institution. Rachel gave me a tour of the museum store, which brings in an average $45,000 a month. It was fascinating to learn about shopping trends and how merchandise relates to CMA’s special exhibitions and permanent collection. Additionally, I met with Kristin again (Associate Director of Institutional Relations) to do a walk-through of grant applications. Amongst many other grants, she was able to show me what CMA application to the Columbus Foundation for the Summer Fellowship grant, which was wildly interesting to see! And thanks to my connections in CMA’s Advancement department, I was able to connect with two individuals from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra! On Monday, I met Nat (Marketing Manager) and Katie (Production Assistant and DMA flute student at OSU), both of whom were able to connect me with even more individuals at CSO and the McConnell Arts Center. 

Our Columbus Foundation professional development session on Wednesday was another highlight of the week! We were engaged in a fascinating conversation with Toshia Safford, President and CEO of Center for Healthy Families. I enjoyed the conversational style of her session and felt her genuine desire to connect with us! Also on Wednesday was our alumni fellow dinner and Jeni’s trip. It was so nice to connect with each other in a more casual environment and I look forward to spending more time outside of work with my peers! (pink heart emoji)

Looking forward to our final week! It’s been a wonderful summer 🙂

-Muji