Title:Hoya celebrates America’s 250th

Caroline Klibanoff (C’12) shares her passion for American history as the founder and leader of Made By Us, a national network of over 450 museums and historic sites engaging younger generations in history and civics.

“Young adults are often overlooked in museums that focus on programming for school age children on field trips or older adults who may become donors,” says Klibanoff. “Yet this is a critical stage of life for developing one’s civic identity, and museums are positioned to help.”

Made By Us addresses the gap for young adults ages 18 to 30, connecting them with museum resources, online and in-person. “Museums are some of our last trusted institutions for knowledge. They’re seen as relatively nonpartisan and reliable,” she says. “Museums can provide a safe haven for every generation that wants to be informed and inspired by history.”

Last summer, Klibanoff opened a Wish Wall mural at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History during the Civic Season period between Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. The Wish Wall invited 10,000 visitors to share their wish for America’s future. The Smithsonian collected wishes for a time capsule that will open in 50 years.

“When we look to the future as well as the past, we realize we have a role in the story of American history,” she says. “I want everyone to have a basic history education. Every type of job can be helped by knowing history.”

As the country looks to its 250th anniversary this summer, Made By Us will launch more than 250 Wish Walls nationwide. Civic Season events, including Wish Walls, will take place across the nation, powered by an innovative Youth250 Bureau—a hotline of young people helping institutions improve 250th museum offerings geared toward younger generations.

“I came to Georgetown to study American Studies. I love U.S. history, literature, and culture, so it’s a dream for me to be part of planning the U.S. 250th and working with hundreds of history organizations,” she says.

My Georgetown experience put public service at the forefront of the work I do. The idea of people for others is a fundamental building block of our democracy, and we need it more than ever,” says Klibanoff. “I love the name of the Called to Be [campaign]—that really is what it feels like to work on this big anniversary. I get to work on the challenges of the moment that I was given, and history teaches us that too.”