Gabriella Barnes

Connecting to the Liberal Art

My major and I

    When every kid grows up they have plans and dreams of becoming something fun. A job with some kind of action and adventure. For me however, I planned to manage other peoples money. Naturally a finance major would be appropriate. My minor is a bit odd for my intended career. I am a museum studies minor, because I simply love museums.

   Early on I had a love for museums and I never knew exactly why until I grew up, I discovered the main reason why I enjoyed museums so much was the fact that they inspired learning through an array of experiments, discoveries and experiences. Like the old saying “no two snowflakes are alike,” I began to understand that each museums had its own unique ability to educate and inspire. Unlike a traditional classroom where one can understand math problems or read English literature, museum were able to incorporate an encyclopedia full of information on a particular subject in displays and little plaques. These educators are experts and masters of their craft. They obtain large sums of knowledge and relay only the most relevant and informational details to an audience of all ages and backgrounds. They could command a room full of six year olds and bring their attentions to a display and give out bits of information. This information would be short but sweet, it was general for them to understand it and yet sweet to develop their imagination and draw other conclusions based on their prior knowledge. As a soon to be financial planner, investor or other, I need to develop this skill of finding my attention grabber while developing strategies to make my clients understand my goals.

   Outside my future career and its courses, I have also developed a better knowledge of other subjects. One of my favorite areas of study and passion is history. The Museum of Natural History was my first museum visit. I owe this museum a great deal for helping me understand the greatest mysteries of the past. During my first semester here I decided to take a Global history class. In this classroom I excelled. The literature was life changing and informational, the teacher was inspiring. This course helped me to truly understand the gruesome and horrific ramifications  that took place during the era of Imperialism. No historian would be shocked by the effects of Imperialism and the old beliefs of European nations. The shocking discovery was the within the hidden walls of Belgium. A country that supposedly didn't conform with traditional cruelties of Imperialism, was just discovered to have been one of the worst. In their thirst for rubber they would kidnap families for ransoms, cut off arms and legs for punishment and conduct massive shooting sprees across the Congo. This newly developed information caused shock waves across the world. It revealed to me how one of the biggest and oldest genocides could occur with all the evidence hidden for centuries. Everyday history can teach us more and more about the past. This life changing information also allows me to understand more about the community and the global world. Unlike economic theories these events are facts and reality. There are no theories on what occurred but rather on the number of people killed. With some many uncertainties in the field of finance, it was a new experience to learn about the subject with more certainty. 

   The opportunity to attend a liberal arts schools allows me to have a knowledge not only in my major and minor but in other aspects. The information I learn can help me understand someone else’s passion for history science or the arts. Adapting to their needs and wants will become my biggest task. In acquiring knowledge in this way I can connect to many different types of people and to an array of clients. Experiences in different classrooms gives me an opportunity to develop relationships with other classmates and professors. Most of these experiences have led me to believe in my goals and ensure that  my goals are the best for me. My goals have always been precious to me and close to the heart. I wanted a future that could provide for my ultimate goals of one day becoming a mother. From what I have gathered through finance courses and other classrooms, finance not only has a growing demand for jobs but it has many promising benefits. In the current job market, I will have the best chance to stabilize quickly and continue to work through both the hard and good times with some job security.

Connecting to Liberal Art Essay