Alexandra May
MS Historic Preservation
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2022
Previous Degree: BFA, Minor in Art History, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
I’m From: Corona, CA
Why I Came to the UO and How I Chose My Major
The University of Oregon offered an opportunity for me to make a difference in my own community while getting a degree from a well-respected and prestigious institution. Being a student in the College of Design excites me because I will be learning first-hand from professors who have a plethora of knowledge in this field while getting a variety of learning styles from seminars to field schooling.
While I was visiting Holland, I stayed in a city located in the North Brabant province known as Eindhoven. As I explored, I found myself drawn to the city center where the chapel of Sint-Catharinakerk stands. What amazed me most was that the story of the chapel was told throughout its interior, granting tourists a glimpse of the importance of this landmark. I was taken aback by a city’s passion to recover and rebuild after being badly damaged during World War II. I stayed in the church for hours, listening to the choir practice while looking at original concept drawings, taking in its surrounding history. This experience reminded me why I fell in love with art in the first place. Once I got back home, I began researching restoration projects and looking for ways to get involved. My resolve was strengthened a few months later when a coworker informed me that a church in France was on fire. The Notre Dame, an international icon, was going up in flames.I found it difficult to work the rest of the day as I kept looking at the live news; listened to the hymns of the crowd and felt the devastation of a national monument. I couldn’t believe it and I decided that I needed to apply for preservation programs to be a part of saving history and giving others the opportunity to experience these monuments.
James Buckley and Chad Randl in particular are two professors I am excited to learn from. Professor Buckley and Professor Randl have made themselves extremely accessible during this COVID-19 pandemic allowing me to feel secure in the fact that our education and safety is a priority to them. With my minor in art history and Professor Buckley’s bachelors in art history, I am excited to be taught from someone with a similar educational background as my own. I hope to learn from them not just the importance of the objects we are saving but how they interact with the communities and surrounding narratives of the cities.
Unique Qualities I Bring to My Studies
In my life I have had the opportunity to travel throughout the United States and to Europe. This allowed me to see and appreciate the work I’ve studied from my undergrad by seeing it in person. Being an artist and walking through the Vatican showed me where my own work and those of my cohorts draws inspiration. The ability to stand within the Sistine Chapel made me humble while it made some around me cry. Art and architecture is powerful. My personal experiences as an artist give a different perspective to a historical narrative. Preserving buildings or artifacts is more than just the type of materials used – for me it’s the reasons those materials were used, the decisions the creator had to go through to get to the final product and the oral history surrounding these pieces that make it such an important pursuit. My love of art and artists only grows the more I am able to observe and learn.
Extracurricular Activities I Want to Pursue
Being a part of UO is being a part of a community that far and beyond stretches the Eugene and Portland campuses. I’m excited to see what activities are offered to the Portland campus students but cannot wait to root for the Ducks during all sporting games. Being a part of a community will help with a sense of belonging to something larger than myself and give a reprieve to the coursework that is surely ahead of me.
After Graduation
My greatest hope after graduation is to work on classic gothic and neo-gothic churches in Holland. I am currently teaching myself Dutch through Rosetta Stone and would love to go back to where my interest was hungriest and work on artifacts and buildings. My goal is to become a creative preservationist and ensure future generations get to experience and learn from the designers of the past. I believe this would give me the greatest joy and I plan to use my degree to teach current and future generations that history can be learned and experienced outside the classroom. Knowing that I will have a hand in protecting history from natural or human caused disasters gives me a huge sense of pride.
Your Gift
In receiving this scholarship I am able to afford tuition with minimal financial aid. This scholarship allows me to study in an extremely niche field that has such a global impact. This scholarship is completely life-changing as it was will enable me to focus on my school work and less on the need to continue working my 60-hour a week job to afford tuition. I’m extremely humbled to know there are people who saw me in a stack of candidates worthy of a generous scholarship such as this. Thank you so much.