Jacqueline Lopez
By Zoë Eitel
Linkedin has been a valuable resource for Jacqueline Lopez. Prior to finishing her degree in History, LinkedIn allowed Jacqueline to connect with a representative from the Art Institute of Chicago who made her aware of the paid internship opportunities at the museum. She is now a Research Assistant Intern in the Art Institute’s Photography Department.
“Linkedin has been a great resource for following institutions that I’m interested in, making sure that I’m aware of what they have going on, and starting a dialogue,” Jacqueline says.
Before she landed the internship at the Art Institute, Jacqueline interned at the Chicago History Museum, which was an opportunity available to her because of her previous classwork. Jacqueline’s experiential learning course for her program was at the History Museum where she got to work with the head curator and historian, and once she graduated, she applied to be an intern in order to continue the work she had started for the course.
Research Assistant Intern in the Photography Department of Art Institute of Chicago
BA History 2019
Jacqueline’s internships have taught her that it’s important to have an open mind about the opportunities available because she has skills that are applicable to many different fields.
“It’s important to focus on the skills you have rather than the job that you want because especially with a liberal arts degree or a history or anthropology major, I have a lot of skills that are suited for a bunch of different jobs,” she says.
“It’s important to focus on the skills you have rather than the job that you want because especially with a liberal arts degree or a history or anthropology major, I have a lot of skills that are suited for a bunch of different jobs.”
Jacqueline believes other students should stay open-minded about their careers because there are so many different jobs out there that could appeal to them. She never saw herself working in art since it was not in her background, but even as an intern she has had opportunities to make an impact on the museum, such as an article she recently wrote and contributed to the Art Institute’s blog.
She also has the ability to reach out to anyone at the Art Institute to meet and ask them questions or for advice, which surprised her because of the museum’s big reputation. It has also been important to Jacqueline for her to keep in contact with her professors and keep them updated on her successes as well as ask for their feedback and advice.
