Hello! My name is Caitlin and I have just entered that weird spot right after grad school. Right now that spot happens to be in London, UK for a few more weeks until I return to my hometown in Ohio, US.
As an undergraduate at The College of Wooster, I majored in Psychology and combined it with my love of alternative style to complete my Independent Study Thesis: Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Regarding Tattoos in Relation to Social Dominance Orientation and Perceived Entitativity. Naturally, my next step was to move for the first time all the way across the pond to London. At Goldsmiths, University of London I recently completed my MSc Psychology of the Arts, Neuroaesthetics, and Creativity. I culminated my interdisciplinary interests into my MSc Research Project: What Goes Around Comes Around: An Investigation of the Aesthetics of Curvature in Fashion, Reminiscence Bumps, and Openness Experience. My academic journey has been a creative one filled with unique research experiences and I’m excited for where I can take these skills next.
When I’m not researching human behavior, I’m spending time with my dogs, embroidering, painting my nails, and consuming media surrounding anything from true crime to tattoos. My pre-pandemic passions include traveling, attending concerts, and visiting museums.
My dream job has evolved over the years from author to art teacher and to clinical psychologist. As of now, my dream job would be one that fulfills my desire to be creative and to help others. I don’t think that this has to take a singular form and I hope to try my hand at adapting it to different settings along the way. I’m currently in the process of searching for employment and I hope that my time interning at Girl Museum will provide me with invaluable knowledge that I can take with me onto whatever that may be.
My favorite museum is the Cleveland Museum of Art. It’s not the biggest or most spectacular museum by any means, but it was the first proper art museum that I ever visited. Nostalgia may be a contributing factor but there’s some perks. You can see everything without having to make a game plan or compromise because of time constraints which is often the case with visiting larger museums. The museum is also free making it more widely available. My absolute favorite piece is one of Monet’s panels from Water Lilies. There’s a bench directly in front of it and I could sit there for hours.
One of the biggest issues facing girls that I know is a lack of confidence. This is an issue I personally face; I see girls around me facing, and I often worry about in the case of younger girls who have social media earlier than the girls before them. Whether it be in the form of body confidence or general self doubt, girls face this battle that can have real life consequences. Without the right confidence, we might not pursue a job, take that solo trip, or have the bravery to leave the house in that outfit you’ve been too scared to wear in public. We miss out on opportunities, life changing possibilities, and memories all because of this silly notion that we may not look or be good enough. So let’s try to do our best to empower one another as girls and promote all kinds of confidence so we can face whatever comes our way.
I’m excited to get started and contribute to the amazing impact that Girl Museum makes for all girls.
-Caitlin Colapietro
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.