{"id":7998,"date":"2017-08-14T10:30:25","date_gmt":"2017-08-14T09:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.museums.cam.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=7998"},"modified":"2020-09-04T15:47:22","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T14:47:22","slug":"front-of-house-qa-april-bagwill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.museums.cam.ac.uk\/blog\/2017\/08\/14\/front-of-house-qa-april-bagwill\/","title":{"rendered":"Front of House Q&A: April Bagwill"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Front of House Q&A series continues with April Bagwill. April is a Front of House Volunteer at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology<\/a> (MAA).<\/h2>\n

She recently came to Cambridge from Washington D.C. and works as a scientific editor. In her spare time, April enjoys being outdoors and learning new things.<\/p>\n

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April in her role at MAA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How long have you volunteered here?<\/h3>\n

I am new to MAA, only about three months.<\/p>\n

How did you get to volunteer\u00a0in a Museum?<\/h3>\n

I was very lucky that when I came to Cambridge there were open volunteer positions. I used to volunteer at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History<\/a> in Washington DC and wanted to continue working at a museum because I enjoy the experiences and collections. I was interested in MAA because if I hadn\u2019t chosen a career in biology, it would have been archaeology.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give someone wanting a similar role?<\/h3>\n

The great thing about volunteering is that anyone can do it. Don\u2019t be afraid to seek opportunities at places where you don\u2019t really know much about the subject; if it\u2019s something you\u2019re passionate about, this will be clear and is what most places are looking for.<\/p>\n

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Welcome to MAA!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tell us something surprising about yourself.<\/h3>\n

I used to wrestle large alligators \u2013 for science, of course. I also helped curate a collection of venomous snakes. Basically, I love all reptiles and this is what drove me to a career in biology.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite object or part of the collection?<\/h3>\n

The Solomon Islands apira rafa<\/em> (food bowls) featured in the first floor gallery. There is just something about them that I find absolutely beautiful and fascinating. Although I still cannot picture how much mashed taro would be needed to fill them.<\/p>\n

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April’s favourite objects – the Solomon Islands apira rafa<\/em>\u00a0(food bowls).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you didn\u2019t volunteer at MAA, which other UCM would you volunteer at and why?<\/h3>\n

This is a bit of a cheat for me because I also volunteer at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences<\/a>. I\u2019ve always been fascinated by rocks\/minerals and fossils. I enjoy how the collections are arranged because you can really see the subtle and major changes in the landscape and organisms throughout geological time. I would also like to work at the Museum of Zoology<\/a> because all of my previous work and research has been in this field.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite part of the role?<\/h3>\n

Visitor interactions. I love seeing visitors\u2019 reactions to the amazing items on display and talking with them about different cultures, what fascinates them, and hearing about their experiences.<\/p>\n

Inspired by April?\u00a0Find out more about\u00a0volunteer opportunities\u00a0across the University of Cambridge Museums.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our Front of House Q&A series continues with April Bagwill. April is a Front of House Volunteer at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA). She recently came to Cambridge from Washington D.C. and works as a scientific editor. In her spare time, April enjoys being outdoors and learning new things. How long have you volunteered here? I am new… Read full article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[369,169],"tags":[222,216],"coauthors":[249],"class_list":["post-7998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-museum-life","category-museum-of-archaeology-anthropology","tag-opening-doors","tag-society"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t