Alisa Fawn McArthur builds life around museums, folklore and storytelling
Utah State University student Alisa Fawn McArthur is graduating after building a path through history, folklore and museum studies while balancing family responsibilities, work and nonprofit leadership.
McArthur, a history major with a folklore minor and museum studies certificate, began her college education at Salt Lake Community College, where she earned associate degrees in history and English before spending 10 years living in the United Kingdom.
“The love of history has always been there and felt clear, and it just made sense when I came back to pursue that,” McArthur said. “It wasn’t until I started to wonder what a career with my passions looked like that I discovered that there was a museum study certificate at Utah State.”
After returning to Utah, McArthur considered finishing her degree at another university but said the experience did not fit her needs as a nontraditional student.
“They were not quite as supportive and flexible of a nontraditional student who has children and works multiple jobs,” McArthur said.
She later transferred to USU, where she said she found stronger institutional support.
“Every single adviser I have ever spoken to has been so supportive of me and my situation and so encouraging,” McArthur said.
McArthur balanced her studies with raising four children, working part-time for an online school and helping run a nonprofit organization called Nourishing Kin, which focuses on folk traditions and ancestral practices tied to Northwestern European heritage.
“It’s been exhausting,” McArthur said. “I’m ready to catch my breath.”
At USU, McArthur completed a museum internship in Centerville, where she collected oral histories and helped build a Women’s History Month exhibit focused on local women’s stories. The project drew nearly 600 visitors across six events, compared to the typical 100 visitors per month for the museum, McArthur said.
“The internship has been familiarizing myself with some of the public and community events that this museum puts on,” McArthur said. “But the biggest thing that I’ve been working on has been collecting local stories and histories of women from Centerville.”
McArthur said the project connected to her broader interests in folklore and public-facing historical education, including her nonprofit work with Nourishing Kin.
“I would love to work in a museum or other programming that works with the public of all ages in doing historical education, whatever that looks like,” McArthur said. “The nonprofit that I run does that as well.”
Assistant professor at USU Molly Cannon said McArthur first entered the program through a museum studies course and quickly stood out as an engaged student.
Cannon said the museum studies certificate is designed to be flexible for both traditional and nontraditional students, with online and hybrid courses allowing students outside Logan to complete requirements.
“It can be challenging,” Cannon said. “We have to work a little harder to do that when students aren’t based here.”
To address that, Cannon said students are encouraged to build local museum connections and pursue applied projects in their own communities.
“Utah has this amazing network of local museums,” Cannon said. “They’re always looking for people and students to help with collections work or help with their community programs and exhibitions.”
Cannon said McArthur took advantage of the program’s flexibility by independently building her internship experience and seeking opportunities beyond the classroom.
“She was always reaching out with ideas or seeking advice,” Cannon said.
In class, Cannon said McArthur stood out for her participation and willingness to take a leadership role in discussions.
“She was always one who was willing to lead those discussions and contribute to the larger class conversation,” Cannon said.
McArthur said her time at Utah State helped her focus her goals after years of balancing multiple responsibilities.
“It’s helped me really funnel in on the things I’m passionate about and some of the opportunities I can have now too,” McArthur said.