Welcoming 25–26 Academic Year Student Interns
By Bowdoin College Museum of Art
The fall semester has brought new energy to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA), and we are delighted to welcome our new interns for the 2025–2026 academic year. This year’s cohort joins us with wide-ranging academic backgrounds, creative perspectives, and a shared enthusiasm for connecting the BCMA with our wide audiences.
Robeson Amory ’26 (he/him), an English and Romance Languages and Literatures double major from New Jersey, joins the Museum as the Curatorial Intern for Campus Engagement. At Bowdoin, Robeson is an Associate Editor for The Bowdoin Orient and a member of Masque and Gown. Both experiences have honed his skills in writing, research, and collaboration, and he has also held internships focusing on housing policy and climate justice where he learned to communicate complex ideas in accessible ways. This year, Robeson will work with Emily Jacobs, Anne Cross, and Cassandra Braun to strengthen connections between the BCMA and Bowdoin’s student body. He looks forward to contributing to projects that highlight the intersections of art and community for his fellow students.
The Museum is thrilled to welcome back Mya Benally ’26 (she/her), an Art History major and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies minor from New Mexico, who served as a Curatorial Intern this past summer. Mya has also previously interned at the National Gallery of Art, where she contributed to projects in conservation and curatorial research. On campus, she has served as a Teaching Assistant in printmaking and guided her peers through the mechanics of various printing processes. During this academic year, Mya will build on the research she began with co-director Anne Collins Goodyear over the summer. In addition to conducting research into artists and collections for upcoming exhibitions, Mya is exploring collaborations with Spindleworks Art Center in Topsham, Maine.
Michael Mychaliska ’27 (he/him), a Philosophy and Digital and Computational Studies double major from Michigan, joins the BCMA as a Curatorial Intern working with co-director Frank Goodyear. Michael brings experience interning at a commercial art gallery in New York as well as serving on the student advisory committee at another university art museum. At Bowdoin, he has worked with the McKeen Center for the Common Good as both a Democracy Ambassador and a Global Citizens Fellow. In the former role, Michael focused on voter education and increasing voter registration In the latter, he worked in Argentina with a local legal aid organization that supports asylum seekers resettling in that country. This year, Michael will focus on an upcoming exhibition of American art to foreground national history in new, relevant, and engaging ways.
The Museum is also delighted to welcome back Camilo Rodríguez Valbuena ’28 (he/him), a Mathematics and Economics double major and Art History minor from Colombia. After serving as a Museum Student Ambassador last year, Camilo now returns as a Curatorial Intern working with curator Cassandra Braun. In addition to his previous appointment as a Student Ambassador, he has been an admissions tour guide and served on the Common Good Grant Committee at Bowdoin. Camilo comes to the Museum with research experience in multiple disciplines, conducting economics research in previous professional roles and engaging art historical analysis for classes at Bowdoin. His work at the Museum will focus on interpretation and public programming related to an upcoming show of contemporary Latin American drawings, as well as other exhibitions on the horizon.
Rebeca Manzo ’27 (she/her), a Sociology and Education coordinate major with a History minor from Connecticut, will serve as Education Intern during the fall semester. Rebeca come to the BCMA with experience working on community-based projects that emphasize accessibility and educational exchange. She has tutored in elementary schools through the America Reads and America Counts programs, she has served as an academic advisor and developed lesson plans for REACH Prep, and she has been a Senior News Reporter for the Bowdoin Orient. During her internship, Rebeca will work with Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs Emily Jacobs to develop resources for K-12 schools and support educational initiatives that reach out to the Brunswick community and beyond.
Juan Carlos Villa-Diaz ’27 (he/him) is a Mathematics and Hispanic Studies double major with a Theater minor from Dallas, Texas. He will assume the role of Education Intern in the spring 2026 semester. At Bowdoin, he has been recognized with both the Bowdoin Math Prize and the Sophomore Prize in Hispanic Studies, and he competes as a varsity rower. Juan has prior curatorial experience at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, where he catalogued artifacts, conducted archival research, and developed interpretive materials. His passion for Hispanic Studies and the arts informs his interest in museum work, and Juan looks forward to working with Emily Jacobs on developing educational materials to support new exhibitions and connect the Museum’s collections with broader audiences.
We are thrilled to welcome this talented group of students to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art and look forward to their contributions over the coming year.
Emily Jacobs ’23Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs