By Kendra Pintor
From her major in art history to a career in fundraising, Emma Dubery ’19 has had an academic and professional trajectory that exemplifies how the path from college to career is not always, and shouldn’t always be, linear.
Dubery attests that the co-curricular opportunities Scripps provided to her during undergrad—interning with the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery and acting as club president of the Claremont Foxes rugby program—helped prepare her for postgraduate life, which is why she is so deeply committed to giving back to her alma mater.
“I graduated with an art history major and went on to earn a master’s in art business from Claremont Graduate University that I was able to pursue through the 4+1 program open to undergrad students at The Claremont Colleges,” Dubery recalls. “My major prepared me for my current job as an Annual Giving Manager, in ways I did not expect, but having a strong foundation in research and writing has served me well in my role—all those hours working on my thesis in the library basement really paid off!”
During her undergraduate years at Scripps, Dubery seized various opportunities to expand her horizons beyond the classroom. “As an undergrad, I served as an intern with the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery both in a self-designed internship working with Japanese prints and as the Peggy Phelps Curatorial Intern,” she says.
Throughout her academic journey at Scripps, Dubery found an invaluable mentor in Professor Mary MacNaughton, the former Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery. “She was the ultimate champion of creating opportunities for students,” Dubery says. “She helped me design an internship at the gallery to survey the expansive Japanese woodblock print collection.
“I absolutely loved my time with the gallery; they create such amazing opportunities for interns, and the staff are so wonderful and want nothing more than for you to follow your passions and succeed.”
In fact, it was Dubery’s experience at the Williamson Gallery that led her to pursue a career in fundraising. “I actually would not have explored fundraising had it not been for the Williamson Gallery at Scripps,” she explains.
In addition to a career in fundraising, Dubery has become passionate about giving, particularly when it comes to giving back to Scripps and current students.
“I give because I want students—present and future—to be able to enjoy the opportunities that I loved so much at Scripps,” Dubery says. “I give to honor former faculty like Professor MacNaughton, who worked hard alongside the Williamson Gallery staff to provide career opportunities and make the arts accessible not just to Scripps students, but to students across the 5Cs.”
Dubery explains that a gift to Scripps doesn’t have to be huge, and it doesn’t have to be monetary, either. The Scripps community can support students by volunteering their time and resources.
“A gift of any size makes a difference and can be your way of supporting the experiences of current Scripps students,” Dubery says.
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