Meet the 2021-2022 cohort of WAM Collective Officers—a dynamic group of University of Minnesota students who care deeply about the role of art & museums in social change.

The WAM Collective meets weekly to discuss the museum field and to plan programming for the campus community which includes activities like study nights, art-making opportunities, and networking with creative professionals.

As students and emerging professionals, the WAM Collective Officer program is a unique opportunity to engage and collaborate with professional museum staff, artists, advocates, and community members on projects that reflect the concerns, interests, and passions of the student body.

Interested in becoming a WAM Collective Officer? Learn more about the program >> z.umn.edu/WAMCollective

Sage Caballero (he/they) is a senior majoring in psychology with minors in art history and gender, women & sexuality studies. Sage is particularly interested in how all these subjects intersect within museums. They hope to work to create a more accessible museum space in the future. They are a researcher and musician and love experiencing new things and cultures. In their free time, you can find Sage biking through the cities, playing guitar, or climbing a rock wall.

Ashley Harris-Houdek (she/they) is a first-year student majoring in sociology of law, criminology, and deviance, with a minor in Asian and Middle Eastern studies with a sub-plan of Arabic. They are a true crime lover, plant mom (100+), lover of global arts and cinema, and a self-described writer of bad poetry. Ashley has been a vegetarian for almost a decade and finds peace in nature and practicing mindfulness.

Amina Adem (she/her) is a senior majoring in anthropology with a sociocultural focus on the sociocultural, with a minor in geography. She is interested in how museums can be a space of social change and shared community. In her free time, you can find her reading a good book with a mocha in hand. She enjoys going to the movie theater with friends and family, listening to a diverse range of music, and looking up new exhibits in the area. 

Jude Pettit (they/them) is currently a sophomore double majoring in art history and chemistry. They hope to go into art conservation and focus specifically on object conservation. Jude’s favorite artist is Hieronymus Bosch and they have an affinity for the Renaissance in Northern Europe and the Hellenistic period in ancient Greek art. When not poring over their textbooks, Jude loves to read, bake, and spew random facts that have been stored in their brain for far too long.

Olivia Patterson (she/her) is a junior majoring in neuroscience with a minor in art. In the future, she hopes to research empathy and emotion, and the ways that art, empathy, and social movements intersect. In her free time, Olivia enjoys painting, reading, and trying new recipes.

Srihita Raju (she/her)is a sophomore studying marketing with minors in English and museum & curatorial studies. She is interested in the role that museums have in shaping and educating the communities in which they reside. In her free time, she loves writing, reading, and watching horror movies.