This summer I was so fortunate to intern with the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Fellowships and Internships (OFI) in Washington D.C. Through my internship I was able to get a first-hand view of what the general public cannot see, which consists of the inter-departmental network of various divisions that comprise the Smithsonian Institution. I valued my behind the scenes perspective viewing the Smithsonian and its many museums as a whole. I now have a great sense of how these museums are organized through their many departments all cooperating together.

During my time at OFI I acquired many new relevant skills including data entry analysis in Microsoft Access, content creation for the WordPress Smithsonian OFI blog, event planning for the various internship programs, communication skills with internal office staff, and external phone-based customer service questions. I participated in weekly staff meetings, drafted award and extension letters for various Smithsonian Institution appointments, created OFI newsletters, helped brainstorm for the OFI Exit Survey, digitized academic appointment files, updated online content for the Katzenberger Art History Internship Program, and planned videos for parting intern interviews.

I also had the opportunity to work closely with various internship programs that I helped manage including the Minority Internship Program, Katzenberger Art History Internship Program, and the Project Search Internship Program. I was tasked to track the progress of other interns so as to update their internship program’s online content and requirements. As a direct result of my cross departmental work, I saw my communication skills improve.

One of my a-ha moments that took place during my internship this summer was when I attended a naturalization ceremony at the National Museum of American History. Only a select few of Smithsonian employees and staff were allowed to enter. I knew that the event was displaying the recently conserved and original Star Spangled Banner Flag, which seen flying over Fort McHenry in the Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore of the War of 1812. It was this very flag that inspired the national anthem of the United States. As I was waiting for the ceremony to begin, I saw Hilary Clinton walk through the museum lobby, in addition to the Smithsonian Institution Secretary, and Ralph Lauren who donated to the conservation of the flag, as well as other officials. Hearing the former First Lady of the United States discuss the importance of art conservation, in reference to the Star Spangled Banner Flag was extremely inspirational. She discussed the importance of this national symbol of America and how its preservation was essential in remembering the foundation of our country. Hearing about the intersection of cultural heritage and art preservation made me realize the importance of the field of art conservation, which I am considering studying. It was a day I don’t think I could ever forget.

My time in Washington D.C. was a pivotal experience and one that I owe to Scripps for providing. I cannot be more grateful to Ms. Barbara Bice for funding my experience at the Smithsonian through the Barbara Bice Internship in Public Interest. Without my Internship Grant, I would have been extremely difficult to afford the costs of my learning opportunity, so thank you again to both Scripps College and Ms. Bice for funding my fantastic internship this past summer!

Below is a video that showcases my internship experience at the Smithsonian. I helped create this video documentation from OFI, which was the first of its kind. I worked with my fellow interns to create questions and used my video editing skills for this project, which showcases other interns who are part of the Smithsonian Institution as well.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByWB4L5hzS6MdFNWTVpnbzAzNFU/edit?usp=sharing

A link to my online blogging work and website content I created for the Smithsonian Office of Fellowships and Internships: http://www.smithsonianofi.com/