Carina Arias (standing) and Clara Fouser, are Monrovia Historical Museum's volunteers extraordinaire. They joined MHM in Spring 2024. Seen here in our upstairs library, the Trentalange Research Center. A Step in the Right Direction
Carina Arias and Clara Fouser are two peas in a pod. The only difference between them is – one was raised in Monrovia, while the other was raised by Monrovians. When they met at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM), it was like two old souls meeting again after many lifetimes. It was an instant connection. But more important was the common interest in everything historical. They enjoy serving as docents and meeting people from all walks of life, but they’re especially thrilled to help with archiving in the back office. Collectively, they have clocked in over 160 volunteer hours since Spring! It’s no wonder we call them our ‘volunteers extraordinaire!’
We take pride in fostering our young volunteers because in some way, we hope their exposure here helps them to learn, discover and find their niche in society, as well as develop a genuine appreciation for history!
We are always looking for new volunteers, not just the young ones, but the mature adults too! Come visit us at MHM and meet our friendly docents. Maybe you’d want to volunteer too!
Click the 'read more' link below to see what Carina and Clara have to say about their volunteer experience at MHM.
Carina Arias and Clara Fouser are two peas in a pod. The only difference between them is – one was raised in Monrovia, while the other was raised by Monrovians. When they met at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM), it was like two old souls meeting again after many lifetimes. It was an instant connection. But more important was the common interest in everything historical. They enjoy serving as docents and meeting people from all walks of life, but they’re especially thrilled to help with archiving in the back office. Collectively, they have clocked in over 160 volunteer hours since Spring! It’s no wonder we call them our ‘volunteers extraordinaire!’
We take pride in fostering our young volunteers because in some way, we hope their exposure here helps them to learn, discover and find their niche in society, as well as develop a genuine appreciation for history!
We are always looking for new volunteers, not just the young ones, but the mature adults too! Come visit us at MHM and meet our friendly docents. Maybe you’d want to volunteer too!
Click the 'read more' link below to see what Carina and Clara have to say about their volunteer experience at MHM.
More Than a Docent
Carina Arias, September 20, 2024
As a first-generation Chicana, my parents knew it was important to be proud of our Mexican roots, but I believe they were also proud of the town they chose to settle in– Monrovia. Monrovia has always been my home. A few days after my birth at St Luke’s Hospital in Pasadena, my parents brought me to our cozy home in Monrovia. My earliest childhood memories have always been centered around this incredible city. Although I have many, some of the most memorable include attending story time readings as a toddler at the library, waiting for Santa as he toured the neighborhood, baton twirling in the Monrovia Days parade, and landing my first job at a toy store in Old Town Monrovia. I attended Bradoaks Elementary School, Clifton Middle School, and during my time at Monrovia High School, I quickly understood responsibility when I became editor-in-chief of the Wildcat Newspaper. As a teen, I explored my artistic abilities through our high school’s drawing courses, eventually being voted “Most Artistic” by my senior class. My artistic exploration eventually led to my interest in architecture and the world of design.
After graduating high school, I began the architecture program at Pasadena City College, and transferred to Cal Poly Pomona where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 2023. Studying architecture for eight years was anything but easy– the insane deadlines and daunting critiques from professors can be brutal. Nonetheless, I remained passionate about my projects which were typically centered around history, culture, and preservation. Preserving architecture has always been important to me because I believe architecture has the power to strengthen community and tell stories. After graduation, I knew I wanted to utilize my degree for something that uplifts this belief. As I began researching career opportunities, I thought, “Why not also use this time to volunteer at the local historical museum?” Thus began my journey at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM).
Being at MHM has been a remarkable experience that has taught me so much. I understand the city I grew up in so much more as a result of being a docent and talking with local Monrovians. After Nennette Ferris and Ili Lobaco noticed my interest in the museum’s archives, they trained me, along with another volunteer, Clara Fouser, to document and catalog historical items in the museum database. Can you believe I saw a handwritten note from Upton Sinclair in our library archive? Wow! Conversely, another board member, Mike Andrews, discovered my skills in 3D-modeling, and that led me to assisting him with elevation drawings of historical buildings in Monrovia, such as the Granite Bank Building and the Mills View House. These projects are so rewarding and help me maintain my passion for preservation. Mark Harvis, Oliver Beckwith, Vicky Hansen, Sharon Motheral, and Franci Bolen have also been amazing at teaching me so much about Monrovia history.
Because of all the board members, locals, and visitors, I feel more connected to this beautiful city than ever before. I started as a docent, but now I feel like I am more than just that. Now I’m also a research and archive assistant, but most importantly, I’ve had the opportunity to become a friend to everyone at the museum. I’m so grateful for that.
Carina Arias, September 20, 2024
As a first-generation Chicana, my parents knew it was important to be proud of our Mexican roots, but I believe they were also proud of the town they chose to settle in– Monrovia. Monrovia has always been my home. A few days after my birth at St Luke’s Hospital in Pasadena, my parents brought me to our cozy home in Monrovia. My earliest childhood memories have always been centered around this incredible city. Although I have many, some of the most memorable include attending story time readings as a toddler at the library, waiting for Santa as he toured the neighborhood, baton twirling in the Monrovia Days parade, and landing my first job at a toy store in Old Town Monrovia. I attended Bradoaks Elementary School, Clifton Middle School, and during my time at Monrovia High School, I quickly understood responsibility when I became editor-in-chief of the Wildcat Newspaper. As a teen, I explored my artistic abilities through our high school’s drawing courses, eventually being voted “Most Artistic” by my senior class. My artistic exploration eventually led to my interest in architecture and the world of design.
After graduating high school, I began the architecture program at Pasadena City College, and transferred to Cal Poly Pomona where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 2023. Studying architecture for eight years was anything but easy– the insane deadlines and daunting critiques from professors can be brutal. Nonetheless, I remained passionate about my projects which were typically centered around history, culture, and preservation. Preserving architecture has always been important to me because I believe architecture has the power to strengthen community and tell stories. After graduation, I knew I wanted to utilize my degree for something that uplifts this belief. As I began researching career opportunities, I thought, “Why not also use this time to volunteer at the local historical museum?” Thus began my journey at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM).
Being at MHM has been a remarkable experience that has taught me so much. I understand the city I grew up in so much more as a result of being a docent and talking with local Monrovians. After Nennette Ferris and Ili Lobaco noticed my interest in the museum’s archives, they trained me, along with another volunteer, Clara Fouser, to document and catalog historical items in the museum database. Can you believe I saw a handwritten note from Upton Sinclair in our library archive? Wow! Conversely, another board member, Mike Andrews, discovered my skills in 3D-modeling, and that led me to assisting him with elevation drawings of historical buildings in Monrovia, such as the Granite Bank Building and the Mills View House. These projects are so rewarding and help me maintain my passion for preservation. Mark Harvis, Oliver Beckwith, Vicky Hansen, Sharon Motheral, and Franci Bolen have also been amazing at teaching me so much about Monrovia history.
Because of all the board members, locals, and visitors, I feel more connected to this beautiful city than ever before. I started as a docent, but now I feel like I am more than just that. Now I’m also a research and archive assistant, but most importantly, I’ve had the opportunity to become a friend to everyone at the museum. I’m so grateful for that.
Empowerment Through Mentorship
Clara Fouser, September 20, 2024
I am a third-generation Monrovian reconnecting with our community by volunteering at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM). A history-lover since childhood, I grew up in Monrovia and other parts of Los Angeles and was heavily influenced by my family’s reverence for all things old. My father is an environmental historian from Monrovia, while my mother is an interior stylist from Cork, Ireland, with a passion for historic architecture. I grew up touring Victorian homes on Monrovia’s Mother’s Day Tour, roaming around the Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens, and antiquing on Long Beach’s Retro Row. I was fascinated by the lives of people who came before me, and the marks they left on our built and natural environments. Southern California has always felt a particularly rich place to be a student of history, where there’s such an exquisite blend of architectural styles and communities. With this rich upbringing, it felt inevitable that I graduated UC Santa Cruz last year with degrees in history and environmental studies.
Moving back as a college graduate, MHM has offered me a uniquely community-oriented kind of historical training that feels as essential to me as all the classes I’ve taken over the years. Attending a big school during the pandemic, my historical education wasn’t as personalized or hands-on as I would’ve liked. Here at MHM, I’m able to apply all of the skills and interests I honed in school to history that is deeply personal. I add historical fun facts to tours I give to my neighbors, and I accession yearbooks from my dad’s middle school. Museums and archives can be intimidating; sometimes they leave us with the feeling that history is something to be kept pristine, that we aren’t worthy of touching. It’s been so deeply rewarding, then, to be encouraged to participate in history and to feel like artifacts and stories are kept better when we interact with them directly. I see for myself the way that guests light up when they see themselves represented in our museum and are able to share their memories with us.
I’ve become a much better historian because MHM places community at the center of its practices. Beyond even the content of our archives, the mentorship of the board members has been so instrumental in my development and so indicative of that community mindset. I’ve learned how to use collection management software because of Nennette Ferris’ patient instructions, and I’ve learned how to identify and tag artifacts because Ili Lobaco answers all my questions. All the board members make me feel welcome. The empowerment I’ve felt at MHM has strengthened my resolve to work at the intersection of community and historical research. I’m excited to explore graduate programs in history, museum studies, and library science, and to take my MHM experiences with me to other cultural institutions.
Clara Fouser, September 20, 2024
I am a third-generation Monrovian reconnecting with our community by volunteering at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM). A history-lover since childhood, I grew up in Monrovia and other parts of Los Angeles and was heavily influenced by my family’s reverence for all things old. My father is an environmental historian from Monrovia, while my mother is an interior stylist from Cork, Ireland, with a passion for historic architecture. I grew up touring Victorian homes on Monrovia’s Mother’s Day Tour, roaming around the Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens, and antiquing on Long Beach’s Retro Row. I was fascinated by the lives of people who came before me, and the marks they left on our built and natural environments. Southern California has always felt a particularly rich place to be a student of history, where there’s such an exquisite blend of architectural styles and communities. With this rich upbringing, it felt inevitable that I graduated UC Santa Cruz last year with degrees in history and environmental studies.
Moving back as a college graduate, MHM has offered me a uniquely community-oriented kind of historical training that feels as essential to me as all the classes I’ve taken over the years. Attending a big school during the pandemic, my historical education wasn’t as personalized or hands-on as I would’ve liked. Here at MHM, I’m able to apply all of the skills and interests I honed in school to history that is deeply personal. I add historical fun facts to tours I give to my neighbors, and I accession yearbooks from my dad’s middle school. Museums and archives can be intimidating; sometimes they leave us with the feeling that history is something to be kept pristine, that we aren’t worthy of touching. It’s been so deeply rewarding, then, to be encouraged to participate in history and to feel like artifacts and stories are kept better when we interact with them directly. I see for myself the way that guests light up when they see themselves represented in our museum and are able to share their memories with us.
I’ve become a much better historian because MHM places community at the center of its practices. Beyond even the content of our archives, the mentorship of the board members has been so instrumental in my development and so indicative of that community mindset. I’ve learned how to use collection management software because of Nennette Ferris’ patient instructions, and I’ve learned how to identify and tag artifacts because Ili Lobaco answers all my questions. All the board members make me feel welcome. The empowerment I’ve felt at MHM has strengthened my resolve to work at the intersection of community and historical research. I’m excited to explore graduate programs in history, museum studies, and library science, and to take my MHM experiences with me to other cultural institutions.
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