Emily Kraft is a junior History major and Public History minor who is interning at the Smithsonian Institution this semester through the Washington Internship Institute (WII). Emily was mentioned in a front-page story in The Washington Post on November 3, 2014. "A is for abacus, O is for outhouse seat," described
the collection of educational artifacts that educator Richard Lodish is
donating to the Smithsonian Institution. (Also
see this NPR story.)
Emily is assisting Smithsonian staff in sorting and cataloging
these materials.
In this guest blog post, Emily writes about what she
has learned from the internship. She also explains how help from the
Buffalo Chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Daemen History & Political Science
Department made her internship possible.
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| Emily Kraft at the Smithsonian Institution |
By Emily Kraft
My interest in history and public history has led me into the
field of museum studies. Last fall, in my sophomore year, I was introduced to
the Washington Internship Institute (WII) by a friend and by my advisor, Dr.
Penny Messinger. This program pushes students out of their comfort zones by
helping them find internships in their desired field as they live in
Washington, D.C. for three and a half months. I commute to Daemen and I had
never been away from home for more than a week, so coming to D.C. was a giant
step for me. With the help of the History and Political Science Department I
was determined to get out of my personal comfort zone and become an independent
and professional young woman. I could not believe I was about to do this, but I
was ready to embark on this journey in my life.
Help from the AAUW made my internship possible
I applied to the WII and got accepted in early November 2013.
When I got my acceptance email I knew everything was real and that August could
not come fast enough. As the rest of the semester went on, I started to think
about how I would be able to fund this. I asked Dr. Messinger for suggestions
for scholarships or grants and she recommended the Buffalo Branch of the
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Chamberlain Loan and Grant award. I was not personally familiar with this award but she told
me more about it and also introduced me to Judy Weidemann, an alumna of Daemen,
who is an active member of the AAUW who was familiar with the Chamberlain Loan
committee.
I met Ms. Weidemann when I attended the Distinguished Alumni
Award Dinner last fall. She was the most kind, compassionate and friendly lady
when I talked to her about my future plans in Washington. She told me more
about the Chamberlain Loan program and offered to help guide me through the
process. I applied, and in late January, I learned that the committee was
interested in my application and wanted to do a short interview. I went to a
local library and sat around a table with about eight other women who each
asked me questions about the program, my need for the money and my future
plans/goals. A few months later I received an email of notification that I had received
a thousand dollar loan and a grant from AAUW. I was grateful that they picked
me from among many other applicants.
The AAUW has not only given me a sizeable award, but the award
gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams in Washington, D.C. I have them to
thank for being so generous and giving me confidence to take this leap of
faith.
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| Emily Kraft |
The WII
When spring semester
started, I began the process of continuing with my application for WII. I met often
with Lamark Shaw in the Career Services Office, as well as other staff members.
Jason Patrie was my WII advisor and helped me to decide where I wanted to
intern. In early summer I sent out applications to the National Museum of
American History, the Newseum, the International Spy Museum, Crime and
Punishment, and several other museums in Old Town Alexandria. At the end of
July, I started to get nervous because I hadn’t heard back from most places.
One day I got a message on my phone from Ms. Debbie Schaefer-Jacobs, curator of
the Division of Home and Community Life at the Smithsonian. She was interested
in the skills I described on my application and said she would like to have me
as an intern. This was my number one dream internship because I have always
loved the Smithsonian. It was perfect for a person who loves museums. I was so
proud of myself that I achieved something so prestigious.
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| Emily at work, sorting artifacts from the Lodish collection (photo courtesy Emily Kraft) |
My work at the Smithsonian
Today, I am about halfway through my internship and working on
accessioning a large school collection of about 900 items. The donor, Dr. Richard
Lodish, was the headmaster for thirty years at Sidwell Friends School in
Bethesda, MD. His collection includes hornbooks, primers, school desks,
patriotic school bells and pencil boxes, alphabet boards, quilts, samplers,
photographs and many more items. All the items are being stored in his home in
Bethesda. It is my job to prepare the packing list for each visit along with
the boxes, envelopes and bubble wrap needed to properly pack the items. My
supervisor and I take weekly trips to his house for a few hours and use our
packing list to find the items we need to take for that time. Dr. Lodish has
been collecting these items for about forty years and he is very enthusiastic
about the donation. He helps us look for the items on our list and take the packed
boxes to our car.
Once back at the museum, we must unload everything onto carts
at the loading dock. Other staff members help bring the artifacts up to our
special storage space that I usually work in. After getting the objects safely
upstairs, it is my job to take them off the cart and unpack them for temporary
storage. I package each item with its own label so they can be easily
identified for keeping track of them. Smaller items get put into special, acid-free
boxes; prints or small samplers get put into acid free-folders; and other items
either get put in boxes or put on bubble wrap. All items are covered in acid-free
tissue and then a large piece of thick plastic.
What the internship has meant to me
Coming to Washington D.C. has been the most beneficial
experience for me because it has allowed me to meet so many new people, to network,
and to think about my future. At home I feel very disconnected from the outside
world and D.C. seems far away. Surrounding myself in the culture of the city
has allowed me to explore my interests and options. I have thought a lot about
graduate school and more internships or studying abroad because I am much more
motivated to take advantage of everything going on. I now have a few ideas for
possible career options and I understand more about museums and living on my
own in general. The Smithsonian is such an intricate institution with many
offices and staff to talk to and learn from.
Moving forward, I am looking at graduate programs that have a
concentration in museum studies. I am interested in archaeology, museum
education, curation and archaeological survey.
**You can learn more about Daemen's public history minor by contacting
Dr. Penny Messinger; read about Daemen's affiliation with the Washington Internship Institute
here or contact
Lamark Shaw at Daemen's Career Services office.
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