Big Impact Experiences

Three specific experiences come to mind when Jasmine thinks about what had the biggest influence on her during her time at Luther. “The first was my involvement in the anthropology department; I completed a field school with one of my professors one year and worked in the archaeology lab the next,” she says. “These experiences helped spur my interest in museum studies.”

Pledging with Tau Delta Gamma sorority also had a great effect on her. “I formed forever friendships and learned the importance of giving back to my community, which ultimately sparked my passion for volunteering.”

Lastly, she feels that serving as the captain of the Luther College Dance Team helped her learn a greater sense of responsibility. “I learned about self-discipline and a happiness in performing that will never be forgotten.”

Education Provides Solid Foundation for Career

“During my junior year, I spent a semester in Washington, D.C., as part of the Lutheran College Washington Semester,” she says. “My time in D.C. solidified my love of museum work and of the city itself, and these loves brought me back to the East Coast immediately following graduation.”

She also feels that the educational experiences she obtained in the anthropology department at Luther greatly prepared her for pursuing a master’s degree in museum studies. “Coupling my undergraduate and master’s degrees, I have been able to work in prestigious collections facilities.”

Her Career Takes Shape

Jasmine moved to Washington, D.C., shortly after graduation. “I attended George Washington University where I worked full time on campus and interned at the Fort Stewart Museum in Fort Stewart, Georgia, and at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History,” she says. “My M.A. is in museum studies with a concentration in collections management and a focus in preventive conservation.”

She took her first museum job at the National Museum of Health and Medicine as an archives technician and joined the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History as a museum technician in the Anthropology Department’s Repatriation Office. She’s been in her current position as an archaeological laboratory manager for the Veterans Curation Program for the past two years.