Volunteer Spotlight: Nolan Lewis
Meet Nolan Lewis, Q?Crew Volunteer at the National Museum of Natural History.
It doesn’t take long talking to Nolan over the phone to realize he’s got passion. Not just for his interest in the natural sciences, which led him to volunteer at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), but also for visual and performing arts (his specialty is alternative-rap), and speaking Mandarin. Did I mention that Nolan is only a senior in high school? Yep, he’s already accomplished a lot in his short life and is showing no sign of slowing down as he looks toward college next year at Wesleyan University.
Nolan has been volunteering at NMNH since 2018 as a Q?Crew member, a volunteer program where local high school students volunteer in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, the museum’s interactive learning space that brings collections, scientists, and research out from behind-the-scenes. He joined the Smithsonian to follow his interests in natural sciences (something he plans to pursue in his higher education and career) but has found so much more to enjoy during his experience as a volunteer. Nolan aids visitors in navigating the Collection Zone, a space where scientists have shared over 6,000 objects from their collections for the public to explore. He loves seeing visitors understand the context to science by being able to interact with an object. Nolan credits the taxidermy coyote, minerals, and insects as some of the visitors favorites as well as his own.
Nolan also enjoys seeing and interacting with the diverse groups of visitors who come into Q?rius, the young and young-at-heart, those from the DMV to those who travel from around the world. He has gotten a chance to use some of his Mandarin language skills with visitors from China, even though he says they often want to practice their English with him. He also had the experience when he was volunteering and spotted some very recognizable hair – that of his physics teacher who was visiting with her family. He’s had friends and family come to visit him, which has also been fun to “show off” his skills and access.
When reflecting about his experience and whether he would recommend it to someone else, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. He learned about the opportunity through a former Q?Crew member and hopes to pass along the information about this unique experience to anyone with an interest in biology or education. His advice to future volunteers: don’t be afraid to use the resources available to you here, especially the people; break out of your comfort zone, meet new people and learn new things – you never know where it will take you next.
Due to current closures because of COVID-19, NMNH is not currently recruiting Q?Crew members. However, to learn more for future involvement, visit https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/youth-programs/qcrew-teen-volunteers.
About the author: Abbey Earich is the Lead Volunteer Coordinator with the Office of Visitor Services and Volunteer Management (OVS).
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Posted: 24 March 2021
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