News Article

Meet NEH's 2022 Interns

(August 1, 2022)

This summer, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) welcomed interns into every agency office and division. Meet the talented crew below.

Sofia Rivera

  1. Name:  Sofia Rivera
  2. Division you are interning for: Research Division
  3. Current School and Year: Columbia University (undergrad) c/o 2024
  4. Major: History, Political Science 
  5. How did you hear about NEH?: I was a public affairs intern for a historic house collection in New Orleans a few years ago, and that's where I was exposed to several foundations and endowments dedicated to history and historic preservation. I found this NEH internship opportunity on LinkedIn, though!
  6. What are you most excited about this summer? I am looking forward to getting to know the other interns and NEH employees better this summer. My coworkers across divisions strike me as kind, curious, and enthusiastic about their jobs (and hobbies outside of work!), which is a really exciting environment to be in. Outside of work, I'm excited to move to Dublin, where I'll be studying abroad for the fall semester! 
Essah Díaz

  1. Name: Essah Díaz
  2. Division you are interning for: Office of Digital Humanities
  3. Current School and Year: PhD candidate at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
  4. Major: Caribbean Studies
  5. How did you hear about NEH? In 2019, I participated in a training program for graduate students at the UPR-RP which aimed to improve our research and grant writing skills. 
  6. What are you most excited about this summer? I am super excited to continue researching with Hannah and Elizabeth on an international funding project.
Lillian Williams

  1. Name: Lillian Williams 
  2. Division you are interning for: Office of Congressional Affairs 
  3. Current School and Year: Rising Senior at the University of Missouri (Columbia) 
  4. Major: History and Constitutional Democracy 
  5. How did you hear about NEH? I first learned about the NEH when using the NEH-funded Chronicling America database for research my sophomore year. As a humanities student, I have since benefitted from NEH-funded works in many ways. I continue to be amazed at the breadth of projects the NEH funds.  
  6. What are you most excited about this summer?  I am most excited about the internship reading group. The readings and conversations so far have been fascinating and full of new insights for me. I am particularly excited to collaboratively lead one of the reading groups with another intern later in the summer.  
Jeremy J. Montgomery

  1. Name: Jeremy J. Montgomery
  2. Division you are interning for: Office of Challenge Programs
  3. Current School and Year: Doctoral Candidate at Mississippi State 
  4. Major: History (Research Areas: U.S. History, History of Medicine and Science, African American History)
  5. How did you hear about NEH? I heard about the NEH through research and faculty members. As a future historian, I am always looking for organizations--private and public--to help support my research.
  6. What are you most excited about this summer? I am excited about the panels that the Office of Challenge Programs are hosting and the reading group.
William Kanellopoulos

  1. Name: William Kanellopoulos
  2. Division you are interning for: Office of Congressional Affairs
  3. Current School and Year: Senior at Columbia University
  4. Major: Comparative Literature and Society
  5. How did you hear about NEH? I’ve been assigned countless excerpts of NEH funded projects throughout my studies. The breadth and vigor of the work supported has always struck me.
  6. What are you most excited about this summer? I’m most excited to speak with my own representatives about the important projects the NEH funds and makes possible!
Grant Wong

  1. Name: Grant Wong 
  2. Division you are interning for: Office of Federal/State Partnership 
  3. Current School and Year: University of South Carolina, Second-Year Ph.D. Student 
  4. Major: History  
  5. How did you hear about NEH?: “I first heard about the NEH through word-of-mouth. As a History Ph.D. student, it would’ve been tricky for me not to hear about the NEH. I took notice of my Pathways Internship via NEH’s Twitter account!”  
  6. What are you most excited about this summer? “I look forward to learning about how the NEH promotes historical and civic knowledge. I am currently working on a report for the Chair’s Office on the status of digital encyclopedias; I’m excited to contribute my work to the agency’s cause!”  
Sarah Zhou

  1. Name: Sarah Zhou
  2. Division: Division of Research Programs
  3. Current School and Year: Rising junior at Columbia University
  4. Majors: East Asian Studies and Economics
  5. How did you hear about the NEH? Ever since I began considering a possible career in academia, I’ve wanted to gain a better understanding of the grant-making and grant application process. A quick Google search turned up the NEH, which, with its wide array of divisions, programs, and targeted humanities fields, seemed the perfect place to gain more exposure.
  6. What are you most excited about this summer? Panel discussions! It’s been fascinating hearing panelists discuss each application’s intellectual significance, feasibility, interventions within a certain field, and more - especially when the panelists disagree.
Kristina Kelehan

  1. Name: Kristina Kelehan
  2. Division you are interning for: Division of Research
  3. Current School and Year: Graduated with my MA from Western Washington University in June and will start my PhD this fall at University California - Santa Barbara
  4. Major: History
  5. How did you hear about NEH? A professor shared the job announcement
  6. What are you most excited about this summer? Learning more about the peer review process for applications and the Council Meeting
Esther Reichek

  1. Name: Esther Reichek
  2. Office: Office of Communications
  3. School & year: Senior, Yale University
  4. Major: Classics
  5. How I heard about NEH: "I've been an enthusiastic (perhaps too enthusiastic) user of Perseus, the NEH-funded digital repository of texts and morphological tools, for years! I learned more about NEH as an advocate with the National Humanities Alliance in 2021."
  6. Most exciting about: "I'm excited to interview grantees about the work NEH has funded. It's been very inspiring so far."