As a child, Hai Xing Lewis thought she’d end up being an urban development planner like her mom, a civil engineer. Then she took a year-long art history course in high school.

“It really spoke to me,” Lewis said. “It was the most interesting subject I had come across.”

During her first year at Washington State University, Lewis had the opportunity to take a 400-level gallery procedures course that gave her hands-on experience helping install an exhibition at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

“It was a good taste of what I wanted to do,” Lewis, a senior from Bend, Oregon, said. “I’ve been working with the museum on and off whenever I’ve been able to these past few years, and I’ve loved being able to experience art both in the classroom and in the real world while also learning the behind-the-scenes of gallery work.”

…I’ve loved being able to experience art both in the classroom and in the real world…

Hai Xing Lewis, 2026 graduate
Washington State University

In spring 2025, Lewis traveled to Florence, Italy, as part of a study abroad program. She did a lot of traveling, solo and with friends, and got to immerse herself in the region’s culture.

“Some days I would have my lecture in a church looking at an actual fresco on the wall, and we’d also have classes in the museums,” she said. “It was amazing getting to see a lot of famous artworks in person, like Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Michelangelo’s David.”

Lewis plans to take a gap year after graduating with her art history and exhibition studies degree, during which she plans to travel and gain more work experience before pursuing a master’s degree in curatorial studies.

“My ultimate goal is to become a collections manager at an art museum so I can work more with the art,” she said.