To respond to a curious public, we've elected a group of students, each with different interests and backgrounds, who are willing to serve as MA program ambassadors.  Please contact the students below if you are interested in a students' perspective on the MA program and what the Public Humanities means to them and their professional goals.  The Ambassadors can also assist prospective students or general visitors with logistics for campus visits, including liaising with Public Humanities faculty to arrange for class visits, and facilitating introductions with Center staff and other students.

Keila Davis, First Year MA in Public Humanities
(Interests: public history, human rights)  
Keila DavisI have always had a passion for history and a desire to share knowledge in a way that surpasses barriers. I believe that museums containing photographs, exhibits, videography, sounds, and other media representations of specific events in history enable audiences of all racial, gender, age, and educational backgrounds to connect to a time period, culture, or occurrence. Public history allows for the dissemination of knowledge to occur within a more diverse audience, I hope to become an integral part in preserving and sharing history with others. I have received my B.A. in history from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA and my primary research interest is The Civil Rights Movement, particularly the involvement of women and students. While at Brown, I have worked with the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society as a Research Associate and currently I am doing collections research for the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. As a public historian, I favor an interdisciplinary approach, combining history with areas such as music, fashion, culture, community engagement and African American and Women’s studies. I possess a pervasive love of history, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to share that with others. My goal is to join the museum industry and present the public with fascinating programming and exhibits that highlight the pivotal voices of the Civil Rights Movement that are often forgotten.

Raina Fox, First-Year MA in Public Humanities 
(Interests: community engagement, trauma and memory)
Raina Fox I am fascinated by the ways we negotiate our identities in relation to individual, social, and cultural memories, especially contested narratives. Cultural institutions are uniquely situated to connect communities with these complicated histories, and I am interested in the ways that they can intentionally use humanities tools to remember, share, reflect, and inspire action around the social justice and other issues such memories elicit.  Through projects such as the Guantanamo Public Memory Project, the Foxpoint Community History Project, and work in the education department of the RISD Museum, I have been exploring the multiple ways by which the humanities can act as tools for meaningful connection between cultural memory and contemporary conversation and action. My hope is to work with cultural institutions that seek to develop these connections, supporting research, exhibitions, programming, and community engagement around cultural memory and social justice issues.

Paul Margrave, First-year MA in Public Humanities 
(Interests: engagement, performance, issues of access)
Paul MargraveBefore coming to Brown, I was working professionally in the UK in the field of applied arts and community-based performance as both as an arts administrator and a creative practitioner.   My research interests are in public and community participation in the arts, with a particular focus on disability arts and work with seniors. My work attempts to make the arts as accessible as possible, understanding access in its broadest sense and embedding it as a fundamental concern in the development of projects.  After one semester in the Public Humanities program I have already had the opportunity to produce my own creative work, research a style of theatre-making that I've been curious about for a long time, and begun to make some great contacts for my future career. The richness of the program and the ability to tailor it to my specific needs has proven incredible useful and allowed me to create the program that is most beneficial to me.   After completing the course, I aim to develop a portfolio of work in both the USA and UK. I am unclear exactly what my role will be or where I will be based. The Public Humanities program is giving me time and space to work this out and decide which career avenues I want to pursue upon graduation.  The Public Humanities program is a versatile program designed to meet the needs of students from a range of backgrounds. I am delighted to be an Ambassador for the program and hope to be able to answer any questions you might have.