The clock ticks midnight, but at the National Archives, the party is just getting started. Every few months, the National Archives invites children aged eight to twelve to spend a night in the infamous Rotunda, right by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. In February, I had the amazing opportunity to help organize and coordinate it. As someone entrenched in the museum world, this experience was particularly special to me. Eight years ago, I myself was an eager grade school kid, lugging a huge sleeping bag and gaping at the feeling of being in a museum after-hours. Now, I was someone who had a chance to make their experience as special as mine was.
This season’s sleepover theme centered around space, so I was stationed at an interactive activity that showed kids how to handle objects while in space by piecing together Legos either in boxes using large rubber gloves or underwater. If you couldn’t guess already, there was definitely a mess by the end of the night! To make sure it wouldn’t be an utter catastrophe of Lego bricks and water, I was partnered with a college student who was taking a semester of classes at George Washington University. In the past, I would’ve struggled to make conversation with a stranger, but Flourishing has emphasized the importance and benefits of establishing relationships, no matter who they’re with or how long they may even last. I bonded with her as we filled a tub full of water and waited for the kids to trickle in. She too loved museums!
After a slow first half hour, crowds of excited families started to pour in. What I’ve always loved about museums and their education programs is their ability to bring diverse people together and that’s exactly what I saw that night. I met so many families who came from different parts of DC that I never knew about. Surprisingly, many of them came from the Virginia and Baltimore area. Even more shocking, kids who had only met each other that night were joined at the hip. They competed, joked, and talked with each other as if they had been friends their entire life. There’s something that can be learned from children and their capability to make such fast connections with one another. As we grow older and become more critical of ourselves, we become prone to making judgments about other people too. What I’ve learned is that positive emotion begins with myself, that I will only receive it if I radiate it.
One family that I met was particularly memorable. It consisted of a family with two girls and a boy, all three of whom were fiercely adamant about completing the activity as fast as they could. I smiled at the dad and asked him how it was going. He replied with a sigh and said, “They’re having fun and that’s what matters.” It was as if a mirror was being held up to my past. I recalled the nights of fun that my parents had brought me too, but now I could see that they were tired but willing to sacrifice a night of sleep because they loved me. It continues to astound me just how strong relationships can be.
The best part of the night was seeing so many different people come together. So often, volunteering becomes about emphasizing the plight of others, but it was a refreshing change of pace to celebrate diversity. However, that doesn’t mean that this event didn’t show me that there are people who need better access to educational opportunities. I found out that each attendee had to pay $125 to participate and that made me realize that there are a lot of families who missed out on this opportunity. Recognizing this disparity inspires me to make a change so that those who can’t afford such an exorbitant admission price can have the same interactive, enjoyable learning experiences. The sleepover did so much for me because, as the Jesuits say, it helped me discern what my calling is. It gave me my goal: to continue working with and learning about museums so that they can fulfill their potential of being accessible for all people.
