Internship Experience: Celia Clark, MA Student, Public History

Hi! My name is Celia and I am a second year Public History graduate student here at FSU. I am originally from the Atlanta area. I received my BA in History from the University of Georgia. My background is in museum curation and education.

How did you find out about your internship?

I found out about this internship through the UGA Museum Studies Program listserv.

Where did you do your internship and why?

The past two semesters, I interned remotely at Kennesaw State University’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education. I pursued this internship because of the wide variety of training it offered from exhibit label writing, to grant writing, to writing educational packets for K-12 audiences.

What did you do during your internship? What did a regular day look like?

A day in my internship involved me sitting down at my desk at home and prioritizing what project I should work on that day. After I made a to do list of the tasks I needed to complete that day, I would work for a few hours every afternoon researching and writing for my assigned projects. Though my internship was remote, I regularly communicated with MHHE staff via email and video conferencing. During my internship, I worked on a variety of projects:

• Wrote a tour script for the Museum of History & Holocaust Education’s exhibit Parallel Journeys: The Holocaust Through the Eyes of Teens
• Developed an interactive University Module on Weimar Germany using Adobe Spark
• Transcribed an oral history interview of WWII veteran Faye Edwards from KSU’s Legacy Series Oral History Program
• Assisted curator Adina Langer in developing an alcove case on Victory Gardens for the Georgia Goes to War exhibit
• Wrote discussion questions on Caging Skies, Auschwitz Lullaby, The Atomic City Girls, and The Shame of Survival: Working Through a Nazi Childhood for the museum’s Meet History Face to Face Virtual Book Club
• Developed a video and activity packet on the Nuremberg Trials for K-12 audiences as part of the Museum of History & Holocaust Education’s History Hub series
• Assisted KSU’s Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books’ Special Projects unit with a grant proposal
• Assisted KSU’s Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books’ Special Projects unit with their exhibit Wheels to Wings
• Assisted Museum of History & Holocaust Education’s Curator Adina Langer with her exhibit Words, Music, Memory
• Created a screen reader accessible document for KSU’s “Power of Protest” University Module

What sort of training did you receive during your internship?

Every Friday, I received training via Zoom from professional workshops run by MHHE staff. During these workshops, my fellow interns practiced interview skills, and I learned about the different roles at the Museum of History and Holocaust Education.

What surprised you about your internship?

One thing that surprised me about my internship was the strong connection I was able to form with MHHE staff and my fellow interns. Though this was a remote internship, I was still able to get to know the people who worked at the museum. Even though I was not physically interning at MHHE, I still felt very much a part of their work culture.

What was the hardest part about your internship? Obstacle, challenges?

The most difficult part of my internship was balancing and prioritizing the multiple projects I was assigned. Since I was working remotely on several projects, I found it helpful to create a schedule and daily task list for myself.

What was the most rewarding aspect of your internship? What did you get out of the internship?

The most rewarding aspect of my internship was being able to learn new skills while working on projects for every department at MHHE. Through my internship, I wrote a grant proposal for the first time and learned how to adapt an educational module to an accessibility document that could be read by screen readers.

What advice would you give to other students about this internship – and also your past self?

I would advise my past self and other students to go for that remote internship. I learned so much from my year interning for KSU’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education. This internship allowed me to expand my skills and learn what it means to work at a museum. I was able to learn what it takes to be a museum curator, a museum educator, and a grant writer. I highly recommend both interning for MHHE and remote internships in general.

How does the internship help with your career goals?

This internship improved my skills in writing exhibit labels and creating lesson plans which has helped me with my goals to enter the museum field as a curator or museum educator.