Thank You to Our Academic Year 25–26 Student Interns

As the 2025–2026 academic year draws to a close, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) would like to recognize the extraordinary work of our student interns. Contributing across education, curation, and engagement positions, these students have touched every level of the Museum’s work and operations. We are immensely grateful for all they have done to make the BCMA a wonderful space to learn and grow this year. 

A mathematics and economics double major with an art history minor, Camilo Rodriguez ’28 returned to the Museum this year as a Curatorial Intern after previously serving as a Student Ambassador. Working with Cassandra Braun, curator, Camilo supported the exhibition Josefina Auslender: Drawing Myself Free through the development of interpretive materials that helped contextualize the artist’s work for Museum visitors. He also began research for a forthcoming exhibition centered on the work of David Driskell, the influential artist, scholar, and curator who helped pioneer the field of African American art history. Camilo researched works by Driskell in the Museum’s collection and began drafting exhibition text to situate these pieces within the artist’s broader legacy.

A neuroscience and anthropology double major, Aiman Limbada ’28 joined the BCMA as a Curatorial Intern during the spring semester, working with Frank Goodyear, co-director. In this role, Aiman took on extensive work with the Museum’s photographic collections, helping assess current holdings and ensuring that the BCMA continues to follow best practices in the stewardship of its collection. She also conducted research on photography across the Asian continent, examining histories of the medium alongside the Museum’s existing holdings to identify areas for future growth. Through this work, Aiman helped establish priorities for expanding the scope of representation in the BCMA photography collection.

Rebeca Manzo ’27, a sociology and education coordinate major with a history minor, served as the Museum’s Education Intern during the fall semester under the supervision of Emily Jacobs, the Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs. In this role, Rebeca helped develop lessons and gallery activities for K–12 visitors and welcomed these class groups to the Museum. A highlight of this work involved hosting more than eighty seventh-grade students from the nearby Brunswick Junior High School for a day of learning about the Ancient Mediterranean. Rebeca also contributed to the stewardship of the Student Ambassador program, supporting student-directed engagement with the Museum and the artistic community on campus.

A mathematics and Hispanic studies double major with a theater minor, Juan Carlos Villa-Diaz ’27 stepped into the role of Education Intern during the spring semester. Supervised by Emily Jacobs, Juan developed an independent project investigating how Spanish-speaking community members interact with the Museum. Through interviews with Hispanic faculty, staff, and students at Bowdoin College, Juan explored the ways identity shapes experience within museum spaces. He transformed these conversations into a podcast project that will soon be made available for public audiences. Alongside this work, Juan also stepped in to support the Student Ambassador cohort with their program planning efforts. The Museum looks forward to welcoming Juan back to the BCMA when he serves as a curatorial intern this summer.

An art history major with a minor in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, Mya Benally ’26 returned to the Museum this academic year after previously serving as a Curatorial Intern during the summer of 2025. Working closely with Anne Collins Goodyear, co-director, Mya co-curated the exhibition Celebrating Independence! Fifty Years of Spindleworks, 1976–2026. Throughout the year, she played an essential role in research, exhibition and design, and public programming development. Mya also helped cultivate relationships between the BCMA and the Spindleworks community that will endure long after her graduation. Following commencement, Mya will begin a master’s program in art history, where she plans to focus her studies on decorative arts.

An English and romance languages and literatures double major, Robeson Amory ’26 served as the Museum’s Intern for Campus Engagement, working with Cassandra Braun, Anne Cross, and Emily Jacobs to further embed the Museum within student life at Bowdoin. Robeson focused especially on finding new ways to connect visual and performing arts, including proposing a music festival on the Museum steps featuring student bands. His ideas have helped spark future collaborations with student musicians and the campus radio station WBOR for the coming academic year. Following graduation, Robeson will head to France to begin work as a language educator.

The BCMA is deeply thankful that each of these six students brough their energy, insight, and dedication to the Museum throughout the 2025–2026 academic year. Their work has left a true impact on our institution, and the Museum looks forward to following all they accomplish in the future!

Emily Jacobs ’23
Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs