Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship.

I had previously made a connection with my future supervisor by attending a networking event the year before. When I realized that I wanted to pursue an internship over the summer, she was one of the first people I reached out to! I sent her my resume accompanied by a basic cover letter explaining my interest, and was accepted into the internship program soon after.

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity?

I began to prepare for my experiential learning opportunity several weeks beforehand by conducting research on the location and the organization stationed there.

If you used any Career Center services, resources, or events to obtain your internship, what were they? How did they support your application process?

I utilized a resume and cover letter format that I had previously work-shopped and developed alongside a Career Center employee. I had previously struggled to create a strong resume and didn't know how to write a cover letter for an internship application to begin with, so I considered the advice provided invaluable.

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your experiential learning opportunity.

Some of my responsibilities included working alongside artists to design their spaces on the gallery walls, conducting detailed research to workshop and revise a formal tour script, and archiving historic documents in the Ritz Theatre archives.

What was a typical day like "on the job?"

I would typically leave for work around an hour before I was set to arrive, as I lived an hour off site. I would arrive when the location opened at 10AM, settle at my work desk, and reach out to my supervisors to see if there were any new tasks I needed to focus on. If there were not any, I would spend the bulk of the day alternating between research, script development, and archiving documents. I would also help with tour groups that came through the museum, which was my favorite part of work at the Ritz!

What are some major takeaways from your experience? How will these help prepare you for the next step after graduation?

My experience showed me both how crucial the study and promotion of history, arts, and culture are to communities and how little regard public entities seem to hold that study and promotion in. I was able to confirm that history is a path that I want to continue to follow: I now plan on pursuing a Masters in History, when previously I was uncertain on what higher education I would specifically focus on after graduation.

Did this experience help clarify your career path? If yes, how so?

My time at the Ritz has absolutely helped me clarify what I would like to pursue and what I hope to avoid. I learned that event management was not something I would particularly like to follow. At the same time, I learned that I adore archival work, education, and research and love to pursue a career that synthesizes or incorporates all three. It is because of my experiences with the Ritz that I now hope to pursue being a professor of African American history and/or literature.