Theresa Voellinger had plans to work as a printmaker and painter, but when she completed her undergraduate degree at Binghamton University in New York, she struggled to plot out a career. Life as an artist wasn’t ideal, and graphic design didn’t work out, but she soon heard about the field of art conservation, and the combination of art and science intrigued her. Three years of graduate school at Buffalo State College gave her the skills she needed to be a paper and photography conservator, and a fellowship at the Balboa Art Conservation Center in San Diego set her on a course.