Giving Thanks: Scholarship Helps Double Major Reach Dream of Working in Museum Curation and Disaster Management

This December, members of our Fulbright College Family are sharing expressions of gratitude, letters of thanks and their appreciation for those who have helped make their educational journey possible. 

Meet Nathan Hubbard, who thanks to the Mathis Glenn Newkirk History Award, is one step closer to his dream of working in museum curation as well as in the field of disaster management.

Mathis Glenn Newkirk History Award Recipient Nathan Hubbard

Name: Nathan Hubbard
Hometown: Broken Arrow, OK
Graduation: 2023
Major(s)/Minor(s): History and African and African American studies double major, Global Studies minor

Activities/Interests: Museum internship, hiking, hammocking, volunteering, reading, and video games.

Career Aspirations: I hope to work in museum curation or disaster management.

In his own words:

Dear Mr. Newkirk,

Thank you so much for your scholarship contribution! I appreciate it more than you know.

I am currently a senior studying in History and African and African American Studies. Graduation is gradually approaching, but I am continuing my education for a Master’s in History. I am currently in a program at the University of Arkansas called the 4+1 History M.A. Program that is letting me gain graduate credits while I finish my undergraduate degree, allowing me to finish my M.A. degree in only a year after I graduate with my B.A.

It has been a very interesting year, but this scholarship will help me tremendously in preparing for my last year of college. For the past year, I have struggled a bit financially as I have worked nearly full-time to pay for my apartment and for school, along with a combination of graduate classes and undergraduate classes. It was, at moments, difficult to balance, but this scholarship will help give me some more peace of mind as I transition to a new point in my academic career.

Following my M.A. degree, I am considering two possible career avenues. The one I have explored very deeply, and which I know I want to pursue very soon after my graduation, is museum curation. I have always had a profound interest in museums, and after experiencing behind-the-scenes museum work through my internship, curation has become a massive dream of mine.

The second possible career avenue I am considering is disaster management. Two rather different careers, but in my previous experiences working for University of Arkansas Housing as a Resident Assistant, I found I worked extremely well in managing stressful and often disastrous situations. I also give some credit to growing up in tornado alley but working as an R.A. gave me a toolkit that has allowed me to see my steady-minded response to a variety of situations.

This scholarship will help with eventually accomplishing my dreams. I am almost there, and I am excited to see where time, and my degrees, take me.

Again, thank you so much! I am very appreciative of this scholarship, and I want you to know that this has helped me more than you know!

Sincerely,

Nathan Hubbard

For more information about the Mathis Glenn Newkirk History Award or to make a year-end gift to support the college’s students, faculty, or staff, please contact Fulbright College’s Office of Development and External Relations at 479-575-3712 or fulbright@uark.edu.