Tag Archives: History

Xenia Kibbelaar ’20: Historical Society of Pennsylvania

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Name: Xenia Kibbelaar
Class Year: 2020
Major: History
Hometown: Curaçao

Internship Organization: Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Job Title: Volunteer
Location: Philadelphia

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I am a volunteer at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Center City, Philadelphia. For the 10 weeks that I am there, I have been working on a database project called the Encounters Database Project. This project consists of transcribing 19th century records and creating electronic versions of such records. The electronic versions will then be accessible online for the public to use. The records that I have been working with are those from am organization called Orphan Aid Society. The Orphan Aid Society was founded in 1814 and lasted until its merging with Elwyn School in 1965. This organization would take care of orphans or those that were fatherless. I worked on various records from 1846 to 1928.

I applied for this internship because I was interested in the Encounters Database project. I also wanted to learn more about archival work. Furthermore, I thought it would be interesting to spend the summer learning a little bit about the history of Pennsylvania, where I have been living for the past three years.

There are many skills that I am using and also learning at the same time. For instance, one of the biggest skills that I’m learning is how to read the handwriting. The handwriting from the 19th century is a lot different from the handwriting of today. So, at times, it can quite difficult to understand what was written. Besides the differences in how the letters are written, some entries can be so faded that they are hard to read. Thus, at times the entries are like a puzzle, you have to figure out what fits together and what doesn’t. Another skill that I’m learning is how to transcribe all the information found into the computer and how to organize all that information in a way that is accessible for people to use. Another skill that is incredibly important is patience. When working with a volume that’s hundreds of pages and covers several years, it is important to know that you will not finish it in days, but rather in weeks. I learned that with the first volume that I worked on that took me two to three weeks to complete. It is also the type of work where with time, you can see the results.

The most rewarding thing about the internship is seeing all the work that I have done. Knowing that I have done something that can help people have access to a small part of history that may have been inaccessible before is very rewarding.

 

Emily Elmore ’20: Global Fund for Children

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Name: Emily Elmore
Class Year: 2020
Major: History
Hometown: Ashland, Ore.

Internship Organization: Global Fund for Children
Job Title: Programs Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.

GFC

What’s happening at your internship?

I am working with the Americas portfolio, providing general team support as well as developing and working on my own research project. I primarily provide research support in planning partner convenings and helping prepare for an in-office advocacy workshop. For the summer, I am researching and developing a strategy for our partner organizations to start incorporating wellbeing practices for youth activists and youth holding positions within organizations.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I wanted to work in a nonprofit that functions on the principle of supporting local voices and community organizations without overshadowing their work, which the Global Fund for Children does through unrestricted funding to grassroots organizations. One of the things that drew me to GFC in particular was the Adolescent Girls and Migration Project, which supports a cohort of 12 grassroots organizations focused on protecting the safety and rights of adolescent migrant girls in Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. I was interested in supporting this initiative as well as learning how research skills translate into strategy development.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

One of the most exciting things about this internship is the opportunity I have had to go to events and panels within D.C. to learn about how other organizations and governments are addressing the Global Fund for Children’s focus areas. I mostly attend events discussing migration, as that is the focus of the largest cohort in the Americas portfolio.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

One of the amazing things about working at GFC is that it is a small organization, so everyone is involved and learning about all the departments in the organizational structure. Because of this I have the opportunity to not only work with the programs team but additionally development and communications. As a program intern I was anticipating doing almost entirely research for a specific portfolio; however, with the fluidity of the office I have had the opportunity to learn more broadly about other departments as well.

Peyton Moriarty ’21: National Anthropological Archives

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Name: Peyton Moriarty
Class Year: 2021
Major: History
Hometown: Ashburn, Va.

Internship Organization: National Anthropological Archives (NAA), National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution
Job Title: Archival Curatorship and Outreach Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.

Reading Room in the National Anthropological Archives

Reading Room in the National Anthropological Archives.

What’s happening at your internship?

This summer I’m assisting the NAA in making an exhibit that will appear on the ground floor of the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). It’s a rather meta creation of the NAA about the history and practice of anthropology, titled Documenting Diversity: How Anthropologists Record Culture. Though the exhibit won’t open until next year, this summer there’s a wide variety of work involved: from drafting the exhibit script, to researching the collections, to writing blog posts that advertise the objects going on display. The exhibit will reflect the relationships the NAA and its predecessor have had with Indigenous communities, which span over a hundred years. Today, the NAA makes accessible its collections of items such as language records, photo catalogues, and song recordings. The NAA hosts researchers and Indigenous community members from around the world, who can view the collections in its Reading Room.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I declared my History major earlier this year, with the goal of becoming an archivist at the Smithsonian. The stories of history, and the objects and records those stories leave behind, are stunning to me. I enjoy understanding objects far older than myself and linking them to the present day. The opportunity was advertised to me in my BMC email the same day its applications were due — I shoved all my books aside and wrote up a cover letter.

National Museum of Natural History from the fourth floor

National Museum of Natural History from the fourth floor.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I learned quickly the proper handling of archival documents, how to incorporate primary sources into articles, and how to write academic articles in more approachable, friendly tones. I found that I needed to adapt much of my writing process when it came to writing for public anthropology; though I’m accustomed to writing fiction or personal essays, anthropology requires a very different touch. As an aspiring archivist, all of this experience — particularly in searching for and retrieving archival materials from storage — has been invaluable.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

The sheer variety of projects involved in an exhibit, and the depth of exploration involved in researching in an archive, are incredible. I was given opportunities to directly influence an exhibit that will appear in a national museum, and to research those items so thoroughly that I could present them to passersby when the NAA would cart the items into the museum. Simply existing as a NMNH intern literally opens doors into many of the museum’s collections: this summer, tours were offered of Paleobiology and Fossil Prep, Meteorites, the Insect Zoo, the Living Jellyfish Aqua Room, Marine Mammals and Whales, Rare Books, Birds, Mollusks, Physical Anthropology and Mummies, etc., and each were guided by a passionate expert working in the Smithsonian. Just last week I toured Gems & Minerals, where I held a strip of pure gold the size of an iPhone, felt the chilly conductivity of diamonds, and learned that many classic gem names — aquamarine and emerald, ruby and sapphire — are simply recolors of the same molecular structures, named exotically by gem cutters for better business. Just within the NAA’s own collections is a deluge of beautiful drawings, insightful photographs, and the dedicated work of great anthropologists, all snugly stored in rows upon rows of gray shelves.

Archive Shelves

Archive shelves.

But most of all, I am thankful for my wonderful experience with an archive that has at once enabled me to better understand the profession, to participate in important community-revitalizing work, and to help make something concrete. Come check out Documenting Diversity early next year!

Emma Ruth Burns ’21: Pennsylvania Innocence Project

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Name: Emma Ruth Burns
Class Year: 2021
Major: History
Hometown: Provo, Utah

Internship Organization: Pennsylvania Innocence Project
Job Title: Legal Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

This summer I have an internship with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is a nonprofit law firm that works to get those who have been wrongfully convicted exonerated. Usually these people are convicted of major crimes and have been in jail for around 15 or 20 years already, and the cases often take from five to 10 years from the time the Innocence Project first receives their petition to when they are fully exonerated.

I work as an assistant to the office manager and attorneys, filing files and stamping stamps, etc. Usually this only takes a couple minutes out of my day, though, and me and the other undergraduate interns switch off days. The rest of the time I spend either at the CJC retrieving and scanning court documents, in the office reading court transcripts to help one of the law school interns with her case, or working on special projects for our paralegal, Michelle.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship for a number of reasons. First off, I’ve been deciding whether or not I want to to to law school when I’m finished at Bryn Mawr and wanted to get a taste of what it’s like to work in a law office. I chose the Innocence Project because I truly respect the work that they do, I wanted to stay in the city this summer, and I liked the structure of their intern program.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

The Innocence Project’s work is inherently rewarding. My favorite part of this internship is when exonerees come into the office. It is fascinating to hear their stories and really hits home that the work that we do is for individuals with lives and families. It is inspiring to see what they are doing now, many of them with skills and experience they gained while incarcerated.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

Last summer I worked as a research assistant, and while I loved the work and thought it was really interesting, I didn’t like that it was largely on my own. My internship at the Innocence Project is very social, which I didn’t expect. There are a number of other interns and there are always things going on downtown after we get out. It’s been an unexpected joy having coworkers who are so much fun!

Sean Keenan ’20: American Philosophical Society

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Name: Sean Keenan
Class Year: 2020
Major: History
Hometown: Brielle, N.J.

Internship Organization: American Philosophical Society
Job Title: Museum Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

This summer I’m helping to curate an exhibition on “Benjamin Franklin and Science” at the American Philosophical Society museum. My research focuses on his Maritime experiments, one of his many expansive interests as a natural philosopher. I also dabble into his writings on “elephant” bones, which were found in Ohio (what is now Big Bone Lick, Kentucky) and how these newly discovered Mammoths fit into these early age scientists’ knowledge over the world they live in. A lot of the work I do involves secondary research on Franklin and going into the APS archives to look over Franklin and his colleague’s correspondence in order to weave his story into an exhibition.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because of my desire to get to know the different aspects of the GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archive, and Museum) world. I have had prior experience working in archives and rare books but curating an exhibition in person was going to be a new experience for me. I figured that this would be an excellent opportunity to talk to professionals in the field and also understand the process of creating an exhibition.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

One of the most important skills that I’m learning during my time at the APS involves the ability to go through a variety of primary sources and help determine which will be good for the exhibition. It’s about pairing the objects together in a way that makes sense for the exhibition and asking what type of story we want to tell about Franklin and his experimentation. Who were the people around him that were helping him? How much of his knowledge and labor that came from other people was acknowledged? What about his life inspired him to experiment and invent? This is my first time helping to put an exhibition together. These skills will be helpful to me as I figure out my place in the world after Bryn Mawr.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

I would have to say one of the most rewarding parts of my internship is the connections I am able to make with my coworkers and other GLAM workers in the field. Having this internship in Philadelphia has afforded me the confidence to talk to not only my coworkers, but others in the GLAM field about their experiences. As I enter my senior year, this advice becomes priceless in my search to find what I want to do after graduation. I feel very fortunate to have the people around me that I do. I get a lot of support from the staff at the APS and it’s one of the reasons I really have enjoyed my time here so much.

Hannah Soisson ’21: Montgomery County (Pa.) District Attorney’s Office

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Name: Hannah Soisson
Class Year: 2021
Major: Political Science & History
Hometown: Montgomeryville, Pa.

Internship Organization: Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office
Job Title: DA Intern, Front Office
Location: Montgomery County Courthouse, Norristown, Pa.

Hannah Soisson

What’s happening at your internship?

The Montgomery County (Montco) District Attorney’s office is divided into many different divisions of specific issues and fields of work. Divisions include economic crime, narcotics, firearms, arson, and more. All 33 interns in the program are assigned to different divisions in which we remain all summer. I was assigned to work in the D.A.’s main office, where my  supervisors are D.A. Kevin Steele and First Assistant D.A. Ed McCann. I was able to write outlines of different statutes relative to the District Attorney, assist in the courtroom, witness court procedures, and even visit the Coroner’s Office and watch autopsies. Every day was different with a few long-term projects always to do.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I have the goal of attending law school and becoming a lawyer. I don’t yet know what type of law interests me. Because of this, I wanted to find an internship that could expose me to as many different types of law as possible. I believe my internship at the D.A.’s office did exactly that and also provided me with lifelong connections to my fellow interns, as well as supervisors.

Hannah Soisson

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

The biggest challenge I faced at my internship was having the least amount of experience compared to the other interns in the program. With just a little over 30 interns, there were only a handful of other undergrads. The vast majority are first- or second-year law students. At first, I felt very unprepared, having no educational background in law. I overcame this challenge by being very open-minded. I was very open to receiving help from older interns in law school and was eager to learn. Not only have I learned so much from these law students, but I was also able to establish friendships and connections.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

The most rewarding aspect of my internship was the exposure to such a diverse set of experiences. Working in the main office, my assigned tasks varied drastically throughout the weeks. From checking and citing legal handbooks all the way to assisting in a homicide trial, the breadth of experience I gained from my internship was more than I ever presumed. The internship program also had biweekly field trips, and such hands-on experience was enlightening as well. My favorite field trip was visiting the Coroner’s Office, where I was allowed to view an autopsy and learn about investigative tools used when deceased victims are involved, as well as how the Coroner’s Office functions within the D.A.’s office.  This experience was more than I could have ever hoped for when applying for summer internships, and I feel much more equipped and confident in tackling law school and having a promising career.