Seventeen high school students in Essex County are celebrating a major accomplishment today, June 4th. The Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) is graduating its 30th class from its Explorers Program — a college- and career-preparatory program that provides students with education, employment, and mentoring opportunities, among other things. Read on for more about the Newark Museum of Art's Explorers Program and the 2025 class of graduating students.

Photo Credit: Newark Museum of Art

About the Program + 2025 Graduates

The Newark Museum of Art Explorers Program is a four-year paid internship that is available to high school students who are either from Newark, or attend a Newark school (public, private, or homeschool). The full program is comprised of 50 students. This year's senior class of graduates includes 17 Newark students from various schools:

• Monica Cruz
• Nmesomachukwu Aghaji
• Ronald Palmer
• Temidayo Ogundare
• Nasir Glover
• Kassy Patino
• Janiya Wimberly
• Zaña Wooten
• Maurice Houston
• Moboluwaduro Fola-Akintola
• Deborah Emile
• Sumayah Orphelia
• Kamill Hicks
• Kayrelin Liranzo
• Aashi Bhandari
• Ayliana Hernandez
• Kamora Young

Photo Credit: Mike Peters

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The college- and career-prep program provides students with education, employment, and mentoring opportunities, as well as access to science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) within the museum setting. Every week after school and during the summer, the Explorers come to NMOA to participate in workshops about various subjects including public speaking, college, science, and the arts. The students also have the opportunity to go on trips to other institutions throughout the duration of the program.

Per a press release, the program has roots in one of the earliest museum-based after school programs in the world. Founded in 1913, The Junior Museum at the Newark Museum exposed local K-12 students to science and museum-provided resources such as fine art, decorative arts and music. The NMOA Explorers Program was formalized in 1995.

Photo Credit: Newark Museum of Art

The Explorers Program is "renowned for its impact and has been recognized with a National Arts and Humanities Award, the highest honor for an out-of-school arts and humanities program." It has had a 100% acceptance rate to higher and continuing education institutions, including Rutgers, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Harvard, and Carnegie Mellon, among others.

“The Newark Museum of Art Explorers Program uplifts young people as they discover who they are, honor where they come from, and step boldly into who they’re meant to be," Shirley Thomas Ward, Deputy Director of Learning + Engagement at NMOA said in a press release. “We invite participants to  explore hands-on opportunities that encourage creativity, collaboration, and discovery through meaningful  interactions with artists, scientists, and a wide range of professionals from our community. This embodies the core of the Museum’s mission: to provide inclusive, thought-provoking experiences that ignite curiosity  and foster connections with new ideas and people.”

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