Sean Donaldson redefines the definition of education
For as long as Sean Donaldson ’17 can remember, he knew he didn't want to work in a cubicle.
“I love telling stories and history so I pursued teaching while I was at Coe College. Along the way I fell in love with the idea of museums and public history,” he said.
His professor, mentor and advisor, Dr. Brie Swenson Arnold, was a pivotal influence for Sean’s career path. It all started with her invitation to have Sean join her in a research project about African American civil war veterans who settled in Iowa.
“It was very impactful and enlightening. I had an interest in African American history, but this research project really drove it home for me. Through this project we spent time working with the African American Museum of Iowa. I realized there were other ways I could use my teaching and history skills. I wanted to know how I could explore that more,” he said.
Dr. Arnold encouraged him to intern at the museum, which led to a part-time position after graduating from Coe and student teaching. Today, he’s working as the museum educator at the African American Museum of Iowa overseeing the creation and execution of all programming and education.
With Coe’s wide range of classes and course flexibility, Sean customized his studies to fit his interests. Ultimately, the jazz musician was able to combine his two worlds with a course in African American history.
“The greatest thing for me was being able to study what I cared about at Coe. One assignment in the African American History course was to write about local African American history. I wrote about the jazz program at Coe. I was fascinated by the big names who performed here like Louis Armstrong. It was a cool element to make a local and personal connection to history versus reading a textbook,” he said.
But Coe wasn’t all work and no play for Sean. He had the opportunity to participate in an archeological dig in Greece, perform across Eastern Europe with the band, meet his partner and served as vice president of the student body for two years. He even had the opportunity to run two Flunk Days through his Student Senate leadership role, which happens to be his favorite Coe tradition.
“Coe is a really special place. It has so many opportunities. It’s unique. It’s a small campus that allows close connections to not only other students but faculty. You get to know them. The relationships and easy connections make Coe an exciting place to be,” he said.
Sean now is using his experience to help guide Coe students interning at the museum. Opportunities fostered by connections like this are one of the many reasons why Coe has been named one of the Princeton Review’s Top 25 Best Schools for Internships in the nation three years in a row. Kohawks have access to thousands of internship opportunities and more than 4,000 alumni living in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor.
“The most important thing current students can do is take advantage of the resources and opportunities at Coe. If there’s something you are interested in or love, try to chase it. Apply to internships to try new things. Even if you don’t get the internship, you’re still practicing your resume writing and interviewing skills,” Sean said.