After earning her Associate of Arts from Donnelly College in May 2013, Carmelita Bahamonde chose to continue her Catholic education at Rockhurst University, where she is a senior majoring in history and minoring in French. Although going to college was always the plan for her, Bahamonde credits Donnelly, a Nicholas Cage movie and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for her current aspiration to earn a master’s degree and become a museum curator. Read more about her path:
How did you choose your transfer school? I wanted to keep going to a Catholic school, and Rockhurst was just what I was looking for in terms of size — and it is located near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which is where I volunteer.
How did you choose your major? What helped you make up your mind? I was watching “National Treasure,” and I thought it was cool what the main character did. She was a curator, and since I had always loved history, I thought perhaps it was what I should do. When I visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in the sixth grade, I knew I should do something with history; however, it was not until I was in high school that I officially decided I wanted to be a curator. What ultimately made up my mind was when I visited the MET in New York, and I was just in awe of what I saw. When I was a sophomore in college, I met with one of the curators at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (NAMA), and everything she was telling me about the job sounded like fun, so I decided that for the time being I would major in history and minor in French, and once I was done I would go to either California or New York to get my master’s in art history and a minor in German.
How is school going? I can’t complain. RU is definitely the school for me! Everyone was so welcoming, and there is always something happening on campus. It’s never boring. The classes are fun, and the teachers are so passionate about what they teach.
Thinking back to your time at Donnelly — what would your friends and professors here be surprised to hear about you now? I think they would be surprised to hear that I have spent six-plus hours at the library studying continuously. It’s not the studying part that would surprise them but the fact that I studied at the library for more than one hour. At Donnelly I never used the library other than to check out books and never studied for six-plus hours straight. In fact, my entire studying method has changed now that I am at Rockhurst.
What are your plans for five years from now? I hope to be either in California, New York or Washington DC working on my master’s while working on curatorial programs.
Is there anything additional that you’d like to share about yourself? Ever since I can remember, I have always been a go-getter type of person. If I want to do something, I go for it — even if everyone says it’s impossible. My parents raised me to believe that if I really wanted something, then I would have to work hard to achieve it. Although the odds were against me four years ago, I didn’t let certain issues get in the way of me going to college or much less let my dream of being a curator go down the drain. I prayed about it, and so far God has pointed me in the direction I have always wanted to go. Never let other people’s discouraging words get in the way of what you want. Ever. And always pray for God’s guidance in what you should do; it’s what has helped me thus far.
I am also very thankful for my time at DC. Don’t be afraid to share your goals with your professors, because believe me, they will help you out. If I hadn’t, then I might not be at NAMA.
How did you choose your transfer school? I wanted to keep going to a Catholic school, and Rockhurst was just what I was looking for in terms of size — and it is located near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which is where I volunteer.
How did you choose your major? What helped you make up your mind? I was watching “National Treasure,” and I thought it was cool what the main character did. She was a curator, and since I had always loved history, I thought perhaps it was what I should do. When I visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in the sixth grade, I knew I should do something with history; however, it was not until I was in high school that I officially decided I wanted to be a curator. What ultimately made up my mind was when I visited the MET in New York, and I was just in awe of what I saw. When I was a sophomore in college, I met with one of the curators at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (NAMA), and everything she was telling me about the job sounded like fun, so I decided that for the time being I would major in history and minor in French, and once I was done I would go to either California or New York to get my master’s in art history and a minor in German.
How is school going? I can’t complain. RU is definitely the school for me! Everyone was so welcoming, and there is always something happening on campus. It’s never boring. The classes are fun, and the teachers are so passionate about what they teach.
Thinking back to your time at Donnelly — what would your friends and professors here be surprised to hear about you now? I think they would be surprised to hear that I have spent six-plus hours at the library studying continuously. It’s not the studying part that would surprise them but the fact that I studied at the library for more than one hour. At Donnelly I never used the library other than to check out books and never studied for six-plus hours straight. In fact, my entire studying method has changed now that I am at Rockhurst.
What are your plans for five years from now? I hope to be either in California, New York or Washington DC working on my master’s while working on curatorial programs.
Is there anything additional that you’d like to share about yourself? Ever since I can remember, I have always been a go-getter type of person. If I want to do something, I go for it — even if everyone says it’s impossible. My parents raised me to believe that if I really wanted something, then I would have to work hard to achieve it. Although the odds were against me four years ago, I didn’t let certain issues get in the way of me going to college or much less let my dream of being a curator go down the drain. I prayed about it, and so far God has pointed me in the direction I have always wanted to go. Never let other people’s discouraging words get in the way of what you want. Ever. And always pray for God’s guidance in what you should do; it’s what has helped me thus far.
I am also very thankful for my time at DC. Don’t be afraid to share your goals with your professors, because believe me, they will help you out. If I hadn’t, then I might not be at NAMA.