Meet Liana Lau, Summer 2021 Applebaum Intern at UMMA
Courtesy of Liana Lau
UMMA is pleased to welcome Liana Lau, a rising U-M sophomore majoring in Business Administration, as our summer 2021 Applebaum Intern.
The Applebaum Internship Program, an initiative of Applebaum Fellows, provides internship opportunities for young people to inspire entrepreneurship, independence and leadership.
Lau, working in UMMA’s Development department, has been helping put together UMMA’s Impact Report. “Since the position is fully virtual, it’s been a really great way to gain insight into every department and meet new people,” she says. “I’ve been able to learn and talk about how they’re working to make UMMA more inclusive and welcoming to groups who traditionally haven’t engaged much with the museum and be more representative of the communities on campus and in the local area.”
Lau says one thing that motivated her to apply her was UMMA’s commitment to anti-racism: “I’ve worked within Asian American communities on social justice issues, so when I saw that the Applebaum internship would engage with UMMA’s commitment to anti-racist action and DEI projects, I knew that it would be a great way to expand upon my previous advocacy work while exploring the art world.” Her previous experience includes working as a student organizer for the United Asian American Organizations and Alternate Reality Initiative.
So far, Lau has had a good experience working at UMMA. “It’s very clear that DEI is at the forefront of everyone’s minds when working on upcoming and pre-existing initiatives,” she says. “Everyone cares about the community and wants to better serve all of the UMMA’s constituents.” As the first Applebaum intern to join UMMA, she has some advice for future applicants: “It's important to apply for a position that'll align with your values and goals. If you can clearly demonstrate this connection from the start, UMMA can then envision an internship experience that will be fruitful for both sides.”