If you’ve taken a tour at the Harvard Art Museums, odds are it was with a student guide. These undergraduates, selected through a competitive process each fall, offer 50-minute public tours several times each week.

Each student-designed tour introduces a few objects that are connected by themes deeply related to the student’s area of study. Many guides have worked for the museums for more than half their time at Harvard. But with Commencement on the horizon, the seniors are preparing to say goodbye. In fact, they have already given their last official tours.

David Odo, the museums’ director of student programs, said these seniors’ impact has been “truly remarkable.” Their cohort is the first to have witnessed the opening of the newly renovated museums, during the fall of their freshman year, Odo said.

“They have taken full advantage of their unprecedented access to all the resources of the museums, and the results have been spectacular,” Odo said. “As the public face of the museums, they’ve led tours that have fully embodied our mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of art through deep research, close looking, and open discussion. Although it’s bittersweet to see these wonderful students graduate, they’ve shared so much of their own knowledge and wisdom with their fellow guides that I know we will be in terrific shape in the years ahead.”

Below, we share more about each of these graduates.

Natalie Kim, an Adams House resident who concentrated in history and literature, said being a student guide was “an amazing experience and a privilege.” She especially appreciated spending time researching pieces, going to gallery talks, and receiving walkthroughs from curators, she said. Morris Louis’s Blue Veil is her favorite piece in the collections, due to its scale and beauty.

Samuel Shapiro, a Currier House resident who concentrated in the history of art and architecture and social anthropology, said one of his favorite places in the museums is Gallery 1610. “It’s where I’ve started every tour I’ve given,” he said, noting that it feels “incredible” to be surrounded by millennia-old Buddhist sculptures in the gallery and yet see the bustle of 21st-century life outside the window.

Shayla Partridge, a Leverett House resident who concentrated in history and science with a secondary in global health and health policy, honed her skill at interacting with others “on the fly” through being a guide. “It’s given me a different way to think,” she said—and “a diversion from my direct path of study.”

Nawal Arjini, a Dudley Co-op resident who concentrated in history and literature, said that she gained valuable object-based research skills as a guide and enjoyed serving as “an intermediary between the public and the art.” Her favorite experience was having her grandmother attend one of her tours. 

Jack Dent, a Cabot House resident who concentrated in computer science, came to Harvard with limited knowledge about art. Serving as a student guide “was an incredible opportunity for me to learn about an entirely new field, and bring new understandings of art to other aspects of my education at Harvard,” he said.

Ariana Chaivaranon, an Adams House resident who concentrated in the studio track in visual and environmental studies with a secondary in the history of art and architecture, said that “it feels like specific objects have become friends to me.” One of her favorite works is Max Ernst’s Untitled, which she discussed in a tour about the religious and divine in art.

Bonnie Bennett, a Lowell House resident who concentrated in English and psychology, said her favorite place in the museums is the Materials Lab, where “the guides have done many fun activities, exploring how art is made.” On tours, she enjoyed “hearing people talk about art they’ve never seen before. By the end, we’ve come together as a group of friends.”

India Patel, a Mather House resident who concentrated in history and literature, said being a student guide was refreshing because “you don’t expect yourself to be the biggest expert in the conversation.” Giving tours and interacting with visitors with varied art backgrounds taught her that “everybody brings different knowledge” to the table.

Lindiwe Makgalemele lived across the street from the museums her freshman year, and so “the courtyard was my introduction to the museums,” she said. “It’s still my favorite place.” Initially interested in STEM fields, Makgalemele said becoming a student guide gave her “the opportunity to prioritize learning about art.” The Leverett House resident went on to concentrate in history and science.

Elizabeth Keto, a Quincy House resident who concentrated in the history of art and architecture, said the Art Study Center is her favorite place in the museums. “You can look at works of art with no glass, no frame—where else can you ever do that?” She enjoyed encouraging visitors to speak up. “People can be very shy around art,” she said. “Being a student guide is a chance to help them undo that.”