Madicyn Herbst is the Visitor Experience Lead at the Hammer Museum. She oversees more than 30 employees and contributes to making sure that the museum’s public events and programs are running smoothly. Madicyn works in a career that enables her creativity and ability to reflect positively on the UCLA students that work at the Hammer Museum. We were given the opportunity to interview the UCLA alumna on the passion she displays in her career and what it means to achieve your dreams.
Her Campus: Did you attend UCLA? If so, what were your involvements in college?
Madicyn Herbst: Yes, I transferred to UCLA in 2013 after taking three years in community college. In addition to my major in Art History, I explored foreign languages, psychology and linguistics. I wanted to pursue a double major with Linguistics but had some limitations as a transfer student, so I accepted the minor instead. I graduated in 2015.
HC: What is your role at the Hammer Museum?
MH: I am the Visitor Experience Lead, and I oversee the Visitor Experience team which includes over 30 ambassadors who staff the frontline posts, including our welcome desks, and who support our public programs and major events like exhibition openings and concerts. Visitor Experience works under the larger umbrella of Development which is focused on cultivating good relationships with our donors, members and the general public.
HC: What is your favorite part about your job?
MH: I love working with a team of young professionals who all have diverse backgrounds, and each bring a unique perspective to what we offer at the Hammer. Not everyone is from an arts background, and that is a major strength of ours.
HC: How did you get your start in the art world?
MH: Through UCLA, I started working at the Hammer as a Visitor Experience Representative while attending school. Before that job, I was not particularly interested in museums as a career path, because I thought they were all too stuffy and old-fashioned. Since I was able to be exposed to more contemporary exhibitions and forward-thinking ideas, I started to have more of an interest in museums as a possible avenue for me. After starting here, I was inspired to see more in the arts, which led me to interning at a gallery and also working with a children’s museum.
HC: What is a goal you want to achieve in 2019?
MH: I want to take more time for my other interests, so I’m hoping to take a few hands-on art classes like painting and ceramics.
HC: What advice would you give to college girls one day looking to fulfill their own dreams?
MH: It’s hard to say what any one women needs to hear to feel motivated and confident in pursuing their dreams. For me, there is so much more that I am striving towards in my life, so I would say that I am still looking for what my dreams are, let alone how to fulfill them. However, what I have learned from my experiences is that you don’t have to get everything right the first time in order to move forward. Like many university students, hitting the “real world” and looking for the right career path was extremely daunting and I felt like if I didn’t land the “right” full-time career job within a year, I was failing to meet my expectations and falling behind. Looking back, the sum of my experiences all comprises a wealth of knowledge and skills that I didn’t anticipate gaining. My expectations were skewed and unrealistic. So my advice is really to be patient with yourself, try to look at all challenges and un-anticipated turns as an opportunity for growth, and be kind to yourself if you need to set different expectations.