Hi! My name is Alexis Walker, and I am from Kansas. I double-majored in International Studies and Art History from the University of Kansas, and I’m currently working toward my Master’s in Museum Studies through Johns Hopkins University. I’ve interned at a few museums around the country, helping to develop and lead educational programs and tours. I’ve also been involved in gender equity activism throughout college.
I love learning! Even when I’m not working on classwork or visiting museums, I’m watching documentaries with my fiancé and our two cats. Traveling, art, and jigsaw puzzles are also hobbies of mine. My favorite country that I’ve traveled to is South Korea. I’m currently a big K-pop fan too.
I am interested in how current events shape our understanding of history and culture. As the world is changing, I find the key ingredient when teaching history and culture is empathy. If museums can create empathy within the visitor, then they can more effectively share history and culture.
Since my interests in history and culture are quite varied, I tend to love every museum I visit. Still, there are two museums in Kansas City that are my favorite museums in the Midwest. The National WWI Museum and Memorial and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art are two institutions that I would love to be a part of. They are both must-see museums if you are in the Kansas City area.
Education and gender equity became a significant interest to me after learning about Malala Yousafzai. She became a leader of a global movement for the education of girls. Equal education is still an issue that exists today. While considered a problem in foreign countries, girls in the United States still have to overcome hurdles to receive an education that boys don’t have to. Those hurdles include effective sex education, a lack of child marriage laws, harmful gender stereotypes, and constant pressure to look and act a certain way. Highlighting the history of girls throughout the world can hopefully allow girls to find role models. Role models like Malala encourage girls to continue to push barriers to their education and make a difference.
-Alexis Walker
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.