Art And Sisterhood Are a Great Combination
Author: Isabel B. / Editor: Ariana W. / Photographer: Elizabeth C.
Being a student at FSU allows everyone to see the world through a different lens and meet people with diverse yet exciting interests. Being involved in Panhellenic brings women with those interests closer to us. Samantha "Sam" F., a Phi Mu member, is a great example. Sam currently serves as the Undergraduate Art History Association President at FSU. Her love and appreciation for all types of art are apparent. She is also currently interning for the FSU Museum of Fine Arts, where she can showcase her talent and love of Art History and research while also being an Art History student and involved in Phi Mu.
Sam's love for Art History has also broadened her horizons and brought her worldwide. Sam was allowed to live in Austria for an entire year during high school and has since studied abroad at FSU. "I was exposed to such rich artistic culture for the first time. That experience instilled my interest and set me up to have a more critical and artistic eye for my second experience studying abroad in Florence, Italy." After high school, Sam was able to take advantage of FSU's unique study-abroad programs. This past summer, she was able to study art history in Florence, where she was brought together with other FSU International Program students as well as those native to Italy as well through art, traveling, and authentic Italian food! "Florence is a Mecca for Renaissance art and architecture, so being able to learn about Renaissance history in depth right where it happened was amazing," Sam says.
With these experiences in Italy and Austria under her belt, as well as her time spent as President of the Undergraduate Art History Association and as an intern at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts during her time at FSU, Sam hopes to be able to have a strong foundation for what she wants to pursue as a career after graduation. "I aspire to work in a museum space doing research, curation, or programming," she explains. "In my opinion, it is essential to have an art history foundation for a museum space, as some of the earliest museums that we know of today stemmed from early art academies and collections."
One underrepresented aspect of Art History that is very important to Sam is researching art. She has been able to delve deeper into this fascination since she began her time at FSU. Sam is currently researching early printed maps from the 1400 - the 1600s. With this research experience, she can add to her extended list of credentials supporting her love for Art History. "Research is a huge part of Art History," Sam explains. "There is always more to learn, and we can never say things are for certain. I love the possibility of being able to see things from a new perspective or angle."
One of Sam's favorite parts of being in Panhellenic is the support she receives. "My sisters are always eager to check in on me and ask me how my art history things are going," Sam explained. "It amazes me how surrounded I am by people who genuinely care about me and my success. My sisters push me to be the best version of myself; without them, I could've never worked up the courage to do some of the things I am doing right now."
Sam is an excellent example for other chapter women involved in FSU Panhellenic. She is an example that it is possible to be extremely involved in academics and other extracurriculars at Florida State while also being active within her chapter. She explained that she sometimes has to miss some Phi Mu events throughout the year if they conflict with a responsibility she has to fulfill through the Art History Association. While she says she does get "FOMO," she knows that the support of her sorority sisters will never waiver.