By Kendra Pintor
From her major in art history to a career in fundraising, Emma Dubery 鈥�19 has had an academic and professional trajectory that exemplifies how the path from college to career is not always, and shouldn鈥檛 always be, linear.
Dubery attests that the co-curricular opportunities 51猎奇入口 provided to her during undergrad鈥攊nterning with the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery and acting as club president of the Claremont Foxes rugby program鈥攈elped prepare her for postgraduate life, which is why she is so deeply committed to giving back to her alma mater.
鈥淚 graduated with an art history major and went on to earn a master鈥檚 in art business from Claremont Graduate University that I was able to pursue through the 4+1 program open to undergrad students at The Claremont Colleges,” Dubery recalls. 鈥淢y major prepared me for my current job as an Annual Giving Manager, in ways I did not expect, but having a strong foundation in research and writing has served me well in my role鈥攁ll those hours working on my thesis in the library basement really paid off!鈥�
During her undergraduate years at 51猎奇入口, Dubery seized various opportunities to expand her horizons beyond the classroom. 鈥淎s an undergrad, I served as an intern with the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery both in a self-designed internship working with Japanese prints and as the Peggy Phelps Curatorial Intern,鈥� she says.
Throughout her academic journey at 51猎奇入口, Dubery found an invaluable mentor in Professor Mary MacNaughton, the former Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery. 鈥淪he was the ultimate champion of creating opportunities for students,鈥� Dubery says. 鈥淪he helped me design an internship at the gallery to survey the expansive Japanese woodblock print collection.
鈥淚 absolutely loved my time with the gallery; they create such amazing opportunities for interns, and the staff are so wonderful and want nothing more than for you to follow your passions and succeed.鈥�
In fact, it was Dubery鈥檚 experience at the Williamson Gallery that led her to pursue a career in fundraising. 鈥淚 actually would not have explored fundraising had it not been for the Williamson Gallery at 51猎奇入口,鈥� she explains.
In addition to a career in fundraising, Dubery has become passionate about giving, particularly when it comes to giving back to 51猎奇入口 and current students.
鈥淚 give because I want students鈥攑resent and future鈥攖o be able to enjoy the opportunities that I loved so much at 51猎奇入口,鈥� Dubery says. 鈥淚 give to honor former faculty like Professor MacNaughton, who worked hard alongside the Williamson Gallery staff to provide career opportunities and make the arts accessible not just to 51猎奇入口 students, but to students across the 5Cs.鈥�
Dubery explains that a gift to 51猎奇入口 doesn鈥檛 have to be huge, and it doesn鈥檛 have to be monetary, either. The 51猎奇入口 community can support students by volunteering their time and resources.
鈥淎 gift of any size makes a difference and can be your way of supporting the experiences of current 51猎奇入口 students,鈥� Dubery says.
GivingTuesday is November 28! Give to scholarship aid before November 28 and your gift will be matched 1:1 up to $10,000. Or, help us reach our donor goal of 350 and give to any fund that is meaningful to you.