As an undergraduate at Amherst College, Shirin Adhami didn’t major in studio art; nor did she pursue it directly after graduation. Instead, she worked for a year as an AmeriCorps volunteer and then for a few more as an assistant at her mother’s doll shop. That’s when she discovered a passion for photography.

“The Museum School is open to people who are taking a different path,” Shirin says of her decision to pursue a Studio Diploma Program degree at the School. “I’ve always been unique everywhere I go because I’m half Iranian, but at the SMFA I’m not the only unusual one—there are people from so many walks of life here. That’s what makes it an ideal environment for sharing. Art school has to be about discussion—and hearing from people with different backgrounds and perspectives is what gets that discussion going.”

Today, Shirin’s work reflects what she’s learned about communication. “I’m doing more open-ended projects at the Museum School,” she says. “I don’t want to dictate an opinion in my work. I’m interested in how a viewer interprets and communicates with my work.”