Hello, I’m Stephanie. I have been working at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology for the past 3 years. My position is gift shop assistant and it entails helping customers, answering the phone, booking tours and birthday parties as well as being the first impression of the museum when people come in.

I began working at the museum through work study at Western.  Work study has helped me financially to make it through university. I currently work at the YMCA as well, and through the YMCA I gained skills such as customer service and good work ethics.  At the YMCA I work with all sorts of people from young children, as small as three months to adults that all come from different parts of the world. This has helped me flourish at the Museum because I am able to provide a richer experience for the visitors that come.

I wanted to work at the Museum because I was interested in the First Nation culture and I also wanted to gain more experience outside of the YMCA.

My favourite part about working at MOA is all the people I have met the staff but as well visitors that have come by. Each visitor has their own story and I always enjoy learning about different cultures and customs.

If I could tell the world one thing about MOA, you always have to come back for some more. Going once around the museum isn’t enough, because when you come back there is always something else to be learned.

Since I have started working here, my job has changed, this past summer I signed up to be one of the camp counselors and was helping the educational programs whenever it was needed. Because I started to help the educational programs this has helped me out at the front desk, I am able to give detail information to the visitors and to explain the programs in depth.

People should try working at a non-profit organization at least once in their careers because it has an enriching experience that can be carried over for the rest of your life.  You develop good work ethics as well as worker moral and helping others is a good feeling.

When I am not working, I enjoy reading, painting and reading.

My one memorable experience at MOA, is my disastrous experience baking in the kitchen. I was suppose to bake cookies in the oven, but little did I know that 20 minutes later I would find the oven covered in plastic and the cookies barely baked. I had accidently placed the cookies a plastic sheet thinking it was a metal sheet in the oven which then had melted all over the oven.  Pictures were even taken! Since then I haven’t been asked to bake anything…and I don’t blame them!