Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest Provides Funding for Students’ Summer Internships with Partner Historical Organizations
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova University’s Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest is now in its second year of a summer internship program that offers Villanova students interested in the field of history professional work opportunities in settings and organizations that support history in the public interest. This unique opportunity enables Villanova History students to build transferable analytical and critical-thinking skills under the mentorship and guidance of experienced professionals and institutions.
“In its second year, the Lepage Center’s Summer Internship Program continues to be a huge success,” says Elizabeth Kolsky, PhD, associate professor of History at Villanova University and director of the Lepage Center. “The internships give our students the opportunity to develop professional skills and practical experience while supporting organizations that expand public engagement with history.”
Through a competitive application process, six Villanova students (two undergraduate students and four graduate students) have been awarded summer internship stipends for the summer of 2022.
Carly Beehler '23 MA will work at the Yellowstone History Center, where she will engage in creating the 2023 edition of the Yellowstone History Journal and online subscription. Carly will oversee coordinating material with the General and Managing Editors, creating online versions of past journal numbers and identifying prospective authors for future publications.
Eleanor Dever '23 CLAS will work at the Plimoth Patuxet Museum, where she will assemble and create content that aids visitors in understanding how climate change and globalization have shaped the Wampanoag homelands. Eleanor will have the opportunity to conduct a small oral history project, interviews and research concepts introduced in the collection.
Emily Poteat '22 MA will spend her summer working at The Rosenbach Museum and Library, assisting with The Rosenbach's collections. Emily will work closely with the photograph collections to expand the finding aids, produce social media content for The Rosenbach and create community engagement programs to connect the public with the museum holdings.
Gabriel Morbeck '23 MA will intern at Bartram's Garden where he will develop interpretive resources for their collection of historical materials. Gabriel will research and digitize Bartram's materials, produce online content for their website video streaming and participate in interpretative programs that generate public engagement with Bartram's collections.
Hannah Pfeifer '23 MA will work at the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, researching African Americans' work lives and roles in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the five counties that comprise the D&L Corridor. Among her duties, Hannah will work with primary sources to create social media content, a virtual exhibition and an interpretative program for the museum.
Rachel Jordan '24 CLAS will intern at the League of Women's Voters of Pennsylvania, researching and documenting the history of the League with a particular focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Rachel will produce engaging content to present the League's history and assist with strategic planning efforts to create a diverse and inclusive organization.
Founded in 2017 and housed in Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Lepage Center brings historical perspectives to bear on contemporary conversations. The Center offers multifaceted resources for students, teachers, journalists and the general public. It is made possible through the generosity of Albert Lepage ’69 CLAS, who was a History major at Villanova. Over the past five years the Center has hosted historically informed and civic-minded conversations on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The 1619 Project, climate change, migration, decolonization, the US Civil War, the Holocaust, residential racial segregation in Philadelphia, white supremacy, Latin America independence movements, COVID-19 and more.
About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has cultivated knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenging and changing world. With more than 40 majors across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, it is the oldest and largest of Villanova’s colleges, serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The College is committed to a teacher-scholar model, offering outstanding undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and a rigorous core curriculum that prepares students to become critical thinkers, strong communicators, and ethical leaders with a truly global perspective.