PhD Career Exploration Spotlight: Nidah Mohammed 

Hosted by the Philadelphia Museum of Art

This summer, we will be featuring blog posts written by PhD students who participated in Career Services’ Career Exploration Initiative (CEI), a program that helps doctoral candidates explore their career interests through networking opportunities with advanced degree professionals. Click here to learn more about CEI.

Participating in the 2026 Career Exploration Initiative with Bree Midavaine at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was truly a grounding and affirming experience. From our very first meeting, Bree was incredibly kind, thoughtful, and generous of her time with me. We met about once a month, usually at the Perelman Building or a local coffee shop, and our conversations often extended far beyond career advice. We talked about artists we admired, women in the arts, and life both inside and outside academia. We would even choose chapters from bell hooks’ Art on My Mind to read and discuss together, which made the experience feel personal and intellectually enriching at the same time. 

Throughout the program, I learned about a range of careers available to someone with a PhD in Communication that I had never considered before. Coming into CEI, I knew I was interested in art, community engagement, and public-facing scholarship, but I did not fully understand how those interests could translate into museum work. Bree introduced me to the inner workings of museum communication and interpretation, and I began to see how my research skills could exist outside of a traditional academic setting. 

One of the most surprising things I learned was that I connected more strongly with the educational and interpretive side of museums than the curatorial side. While I love learning about art and exhibition design, I became especially interested in the visitor experience: what people hope to learn from exhibitions, how they emotionally engage with artworks, and what they discover about themselves through those encounters. Meeting with the Head of Interpretation at the museum was particularly impactful for me because it opened my eyes to a career path I could genuinely envision for myself. 

CEI also helped me think more concretely about professional development and how to translate academic experiences into language that resonates outside academia. I learned practical skills such as how to rethink my resume, identify transferable skills, and strategically pursue opportunities that would help me build experience before going on the job market. As a result of this program, I am now considering applying to museum and arts-related internships during my PhD, including any future opportunities at the PMA. 

To any PhD student unsure whether CEI is worth the time and effort: it absolutely is. The program never felt burdensome because each meeting felt exciting and full of possibility. Even if you ultimately realize a particular career path is not right for you, you still leave having learned something valuable about yourself, your skills, and the kinds of work that energize you!