By Allya Shon
A long-standing tradition in my family is to visit museums. Since we live in New York City, we have been to many and still have more to visit just in this city alone.
School field trips have added to my list of visited museums. The most memorable museum school trip I have taken part in so far is my 9th grade school trip to the very place where I am currently working: Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. My mother was a chaperone for the trip, and when we saw the beautiful site, we both knew that something special was in store. The tour I was part of made me think about how I had regarded history up until that moment. The Museum not only educated me about Jewish heritage and Holocaust history, it made me ponder about specific individuals – the individuals whose artifacts are on display, the individuals who were in the photographs shown.
As an Apprentice in this year’s High School Apprenticeship Program at the Museum, one of my responsibilities is to lead tours for various school groups. It’s been so gratifying to give back to the very educational institution I visited in the 9th grade. Because my school trip to the Museum was so inspiring, I try to instill this same inspiration when I give tours. The children are deeply fascinated, always asking questions. The sparkle in their eyes always uplifts my mind and spirit, and is one of the reasons being an Apprentice at this museum has been such a great experience.
Allya is a 2018 participant in the High School Apprenticeship Program.