My Art History Degree Made Me A Pop Culture Diva
"When I went to graduate school to pursue a career in journalism, my knowledge of art and film helped me in my reporting."
Major: art history, film studies minor
Advanced Degree: M.A., New York University
Employer: Refinery29
People have this misconception that unless you grow up to be an Art Historian, majoring in Art History is a waste of time. It isn't. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
I used to joke that between my Art History major and my Film Studies minor, I was actually just studying pop culture. But that wasn't far off from the truth. When I went to graduate school to pursue a career in journalism, my knowledge of art and film helped me in my reporting. It helped me give some depth to stories about Pretty Little Liars, or Marvel movies.
After years covering news, I'm back covering popular culture at large. That's because of my love of the arts, but also thanks to my special skills. I wouldn't be able to write about the importance of Beyonce's new visual album if I didn't know anything about Art History or cinema history. I'm grateful for my MHC major everyday.
Update for 2017: Alessandra is now Social Media Editor at Refinery29.