Reflections from a Special Collections Student Assistant, Sierra Manja, Class of 2026

William & Mary's Special Collections has grown to mean a great deal to me through my work as a Student Assistant. In my very first month of college, I entered the reading room of Special Collections with a French history class. I was immediately enamored with the space and setup: wooden card catalogs and glass displays of university materials, and a dark room with a recreated Supreme Court office. I began my work at Special Collections as a Student Assistant in the second semester of my freshman year. I will never forget the first time I entered the archives – rows and rows of materials stretching before me. At the time, I would have never imagined becoming so familiar with so many materials and objects. Here, I will share with you my very favorite memories from my years as a Student Assistant. 

What began as a part-time job quickly turned into a foundational experience that shaped my passion for curation and library work. I was trained in paging and reshelving materials, during which I became familiar with both the Dewey Decimal and the Library of Congress classification systems. Along with these daily tasks, I began my work with Jennie Davy, the Exhibits and Artifacts Curator. My first full exhibit was the 2023 “Night before Christmas: An Exhibition of Christmas Critters” at the Williamsburg Regional Library Stryker Center. It was the greatest reward to watch the local community share in the materials I had selected, written about, and installed. 

Each project allowed for a unique opportunity. One of my more research-based curatorial projects was the Veteran Exhibit Case in 2024. I developed “After the Uniform: Selections from Special Collections on veterans’ transition from military service to civilian life.” At the 2025 exhibit in the Classical Studies department for the “Scholarship on Display” series, I interacted with faculty and engaged with ongoing interdisciplinary research. 

Every week, classes from various departments come to Special Collections to view materials. My art history classes led me to my very favorite pieces in Special Collections. The viewing of double folios and large scrolls created an immersive class experience when viewing reproductions of historic Asian art. Students would take turns sitting on the ground in order to gaze upward at a painted mountain scene hanging in the reading room. The collecting goals of Special Collections, which serve a wide range of academic curricula, were reflected in the way these materials brought classroom learning to life. Given my special interest in art, I would often pull materials and write artist biographies for incoming art classes. 

My years as a Student Assistant at Special Collections have been among the most formative of my time at William & Mary, shaping both my professional ambitions and my understanding of what it means to preserve and share history. Most of all, I am grateful for the people. The staff of Swem Special Collections welcomed me not just as a student worker but as a colleague and a learner.