A bittersweet goodbye to several amazing students who have made Special Collections & University Archives such a wonderful place to work and learn. Congratulations to Makayla Bowman, Sandy Llop, and Blake Bauer.
Makayla Bowman, our current senior student worker, has provided exceptional leadership. Her dedication and attention to detail have created a smooth transition for the students who follow in her footsteps, setting a high standard for excellence.
Sandy Llop began with us as an intern and quickly became such a delight to work with that we invited them to continue as a student worker through the summer. Sandy has contributed tremendously to SCUA, especially to the Mutual Assurance Society (MAS) project, which earned departmental recognition earlier this semester.
Blake Bauer’s passion for SCUA began as a volunteer, helping lay the groundwork for our ongoing, large-scale photo processing project. Their hard work and commitment during that time led to a student worker position, where they continued to demonstrate a strong work ethic and an impressive ability to collaborate with others.
At Special Collections & University Archives, we focus on a holistic approach to working with students: whether they join us as interns, volunteers, or student workers. Our goal is to equip them with skills that will serve them well long after their time at Mary Washington. We are always proud to see what their futures hold and confident that each one will achieve their goals.
To honor their time with us, we invite our seniors to participate in an optional exit interview. This allows them to become a permanent part of our collections and to share how their experiences in SCUA shaped their journey.
What brought you to work in Special Collections & University Archives?
MB: I’ve loved libraries and history since I was a little kid. For my senior year at UMW, I really wanted to see what it was like to work in a library, so I applied to work at SCUA. In hindsight, I really wish I had applied to the position sooner!
What was your favorite project that you worked on during your time as a Special Collections & University Archives Student Aide?
MB: My favorite project that I worked on during my time with SCUA was researching, designing, and installing an exhibit on the one-hundred-year anniversary of Devil Goat Day with another Student Aide, Clementine Worshek. I had such a great time looking through all of the old photos and newspaper articles from Devil Goat Days in the past. Further, I really enjoyed using the Epson scanners and Canva to create the visual aspects of the exhibit.
What is your favorite item (or collection of items) in UMW Archives and why?
MB: I am quite the fan of the Centennial Collection of photos within the UMW Archives. Even though I will have only attended UMW for four years out of its 100+ year history, there is something so familiar and endearing about the images of students from the past. I particularly love trying to figure out where on campus photos were taken and comparing those buildings in the photos to what they look like today.
What is your favorite rare book from the rare book collection and why?
MB: My favorite rare book in our collection is our first edition of 1984 by George Orwell. 1984 is one of my favorite books of all time, and I mentioned that in my initial interview for the position. When I started with SCUA in August 2025, my supervisor, Regan Chancellor, was kind enough to pull the copy for me to look at!
What are your post-Mary Washington plans?
MB: After I graduate in May with a B.A. in Anthropology and Historic Preservation with a Museum Studies minor, I plan to work in a library or museum setting. I’d love to work as an educator or collections manager in either of those spaces!
What kinds of archival resources do you think researchers will use in the future when looking back at what Mary Washington was like in your graduating year?
MB: I think that the student publications–like The Weekly Ringer and Columns: The Mary Washington Humanities and Social Science Journal–will be some of the best sources to research what life at Mary Washington was like during my senior year. Similarly, I think that the archived versions of web pages and articles put out by UMW during 2025-2026 would be super useful to future researchers in order to better learn about my graduating year. Finally, I think that oral histories are a super great resource to learn, first-hand, what that year was like.
Do you have any favorite Mary Washington memories?
MB: I think I have too many to count! Devil Goat Day will always be my favorite tradition at Mary Wash. I have so many great memories with my friends on Ball Circle or grabbing dinner at Panera. My most favorite Mary Washington memory happened at Gari Melchers Home and Studio (also called Belmont), a museum in Falmouth across the Rappahannock that is owned and operated by UMW. I interned at Belmont my sophomore year of college and would often visit the curator and other staff I knew there. Then, in the spring of 2025, my fiancé (who I met at UMW) proposed to me in the gardens at Belmont!
Anything else you would like to share?
MB: I’m grateful to have had so many amazing opportunities during my time at Mary Wash. However, out of all of the extra-curriculars, classes, jobs, and internships, my time with SCUA is one of my most treasured, even though it felt so short! Working with the amazing SCUA staff opened up the library and archival world to me in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. I was able to work on such a wide variety of projects while also getting to know everyone on a personal level. Though I’m excited to be graduating, I’m really sad to be leaving the SCUA with so many projects left to try!
