Welcome to Flash Friday! In this series, we introduce you to fascinating student Flashes from all walks of life.
Meet Virginia Doherty, a junior triple major of history, art history and economics with minors in marketing and ancient, medieval and renaissance studies. Doherty is from Pittsburgh, but she also has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Australia.
Originally a nursing student, Doherty started working with a couple of historical sites that awakened a strong interest in art and art history, which led to her history-related majors.
“The combination of academia, education and creativity being put towards something I'm passionate about is such a unique position for museum work, and it definitely drew me towards it,” Doherty said.
Through a past internship at , a National Historic Landmark in Washington, Pennsylvania, Doherty learned how economics and marketing contribute to the success of historical sites and societies.
“I got a bit of exposure to the financial aspect of it, from gaining sponsors to grant writing, which was really interesting,” Doherty said. “I've since worked with a couple more sites, including the Kent Historical Society, and each experience has taught me so many different aspects of museum work.”
Along with her studies, Doherty is heavily involved on campus. Doherty channels her love of writing through her position as an editor at , the honors literary and arts magazine, and as an .
In fall 2023, Doherty started working at the 91ֿ Museum.
“This was such an exciting opportunity for me. Most of my interest in history and art history is focused on fashion; it's basically my dream job,” Doherty said.
In her position, Doherty works with Collections Manager and Museum Registrar Joanne Fenn. Doherty helps to inventory items, pull pieces for classes to study, ensure the environmental conditions are suitable to keep the fabrics stable and work on special projects like tagging and logging new pieces.
“Ms. Fenn is really exceptional in both her work and in how she interacts with everyone around her,” Doherty said. “She's given me the opportunity to help her curate a new exhibition about Katharine Hepburn for this summer, and I've been able to get far more museum experience in the past several months than most undergrads on the same path will have when they graduate.”
Are you a student interested in being featured in Flash Friday, or know a student who would make a great candidate? Send suggestions with name and contact information to kentstatetoday@kent.edu.