Ali Rahmn
Ali graduated from UW in June 2025 with a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology and a minor in Drama (Design for Performance). Her passion for the intersection of anthropology and theatre first began at Seattle Central College, where as a Seattle Promise Scholar she earned an Associates of Arts degree with an emphasis in Technical Theatre before transferring to UW.
Through SCC’s partnership with Intiman Theatre she learned the trade of technical theatre before developing her design skills in UW’s School of Drama. As an intern with Intiman, a conversation with mentor Steve Coulter, wherein he described museum exhibits as stagecraft, continues to profoundly shape how Ali views the performance of objects in space and how audiences are guided to understand them. As an assistant lighting designer on School of Drama productions Adding Machine (Spring 2024) and Thrive, Or What You Will (Spring 2025) Ali learned the theoretical underpinnings of how design work supports storytelling. Other technical work with RSO’s Stage Notes, The Undergraduate Theatre Society, LUX Film Production Club, Dance Student Association, and Tap Club have also shaped how Ali approaches storytelling: through a collaborative and community-based lens. These experiences have all contributed to the desire to combine her interests in theatre and anthropology in museum contexts.
As a Museum Curation Practicum student in the Archaeology Department of the Burke Museum in her senior year, Ali worked as a collections assistant. In studying archaeological material primarily from the Pacific Northwest, seeing how the Burke works in collaboration with tribes and descendant communities, Ali saw the value of cultural heritage institutions working alongside the communities they serve. This principle of collaboration between cultural heritage institutions and community is something she will bring to future study. Cataloging, organizing, and making descriptions of modified bone, lithics, and petroglyphs for the Burke only further pushed Ali towards wanting to pursue a career working in museums. In pursuing a masters in the UK, Ali hopes to learn more about the international relationships between museums and how that affects how exhibitions are designed and curated.
Outside of her academic pursuits Ali loves hiking (shoutout to the trails in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest), reading (especially science fiction and fantasy) and watching silly movies with her friends.
Goals
Ali aims to complete an MA in Museum and Artifact Studies in the UK, developing her skills in collections research and curation. From there she hopes to work in world-class encyclopedic museums as a curator and exhibition designer, bridging the gap between cultural heritage institutions and the communities they serve.
Tips
Give yourself deadlines for each component of the application earlier than the official deadline and ask for your letters of recommendation early. Also, take advantage of every resource Robin and the OMFSA team have available! It’s so helpful to get multiple sets of eyes on your essays and get feedback on multiple drafts.
