Meet Preservation & Access’s Summer 2024 Interns!
The Division of Preservation & Access welcomed three Pathways interns in the summer of 2024. We are grateful to have had their fresh perspectives and enthusiasm as they worked on various projects across the division. Learn more about their studies and experiences at NEH below (and for more information about the Pathways program and other federal internship opportunities, see here):
Name: Maddie Healy
Where are you located, and what are you studying? University of Chicago, MA in digital studies of language, culture, and history.
How did you learn about NEH? I had come across mentions of NEH in class discussions and in academic newsletters, usually congratulating programs and organizations on receiving grant funding. It was always on my radar in some capacity, but I never anticipated being a part of it at this stage in my career–until this internship posting popped up!
What book are you currently reading? I’m in a bit of a reading slump right now, but I was recently re-reading some chapters in Chip Cowell’s Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America’s Culture.
How has your experience interning at NEH helped you define or refine your career goals? At NEH, I have been able to combine my interests in the humanities and data work. My time here has refined and reaffirmed my commitment to this intersection by showing me the expansive need, along with its direct impact. Being exposed to so many different types of potential research in current grant applications and previous NEH-awarded projects has also provided a practical glimpse into the abundance of avenues that humanities work can take. This window I’ve had into humanities grants on a national scale over these past few months has completely reshaped my understanding of what government can provide for the humanities, offering a renewed sense of enthusiasm and possibility.
Name: Britney Henry
Where are you located, and what are you studying? English doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware with a graduate certificate in museum studies and public engagement. Additionally, I am an African American Public Humanities Initiative fellow. My scholarship focuses on Black popular culture, Black feminism, and print culture studies.
How did you learn about NEH? My awareness about NEH has grown as I have advanced in my education. When I was the graduate assistant in the University of Delaware’s special collections library, a colleague of mine, who was a former NEH Pathways intern and had worked on the National Digital Newspaper Program, recommended the internship to me based on my career goals and scholarly interests.
What book and podcast are you currently reading and listening to? I just finished rereading Thick by Tressie McMillan Cottom and Pleasure in the News: African American Readership and Sexuality in the Black Press by Kim Gallon for my dissertation research.
My favorite podcast is Smosh Reads Reddit Stories, which is a podcast where Shayne Topp, cast members, and the occasional guest react to Reddit stories. I also just started listening to NPR’s It’s Been a Minute.
How has your experience interning at NEH helped you define or refine your career goals? Interning with NEH this summer illustrated to me the vast possibilities there are in my field that I had never considered. I had not previously considered project management and grant funding as possible career paths, and now I am very excited about them.
Name: Madeleine Casey
Where are you located, and what are you studying? The Pratt Institute, School of Information, MA in library and information science
How did you learn about NEH? I read about a number of really interesting NEH-funded projects during a class assignment. When one of my professors sent an email to our listserv about the opportunity, it was a no-brainer to apply!
What book are you currently reading? I’m currently enjoying Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
How has your experience interning at NEH helped you define or refine your career goals? The internship has introduced me to so many wonderful projects and cemented my interest in meaningful collections work in the humanities. The opportunity has helped me to better understand the key components of managing a sustainable project, both through the data project I worked on all summer and through exposure to the great work NEH grants have supported over the past six decades. Working at the NEH has fostered my excitement about digital initiatives work and data collections care—I look forward to practicing preservation and access work myself in the rest of my career as a librarian.