For three days this November, the third floor of Penn Hall was abuzz with conversation about next summer, as 23 students interviewed for public history internships under the auspices of the Brian C. Pohanka Internship Program. Representatives from eleven National Park Service sites, as well as Seminary Ridge Museum, Stratford Hall, and Musselman Library Special Collections traveled to campus to interview students for positions in historical interpretation, collections management, archives, special projects, and museum operations. In addition to learning more about the opportunities available for Summer 2018, interviewees also had a valuable chance to network with professionals in the field, get a range of career advice, and bounce some of their ideas about the purposes and practices of history off a large group of engaged and experienced listeners.
One of the hallmarks of the Pohanka program is the strength of the site representatives’ commitment to ensuring the best matches possible for interviewees – which results in lengthy discussions, both inside and outside of the interviews, about the particular experiences and/or skills students are looking to get out of a summer internship at a historic site. Applicants can expect to be notified about the status of their application by mid-November.