Blog Post #1- Introduction

This is partially a test run for my blog for the next few months, and partially an introduction about my travels. I will be spending just over the next three months interning in Washington DC with the National Archives. I am a part of the education team there, and will be one of three interns there for the spring. My duties will include creating curriculum and projects for all groups of people to learn more about the Archives and their importance to our nation. More specifically, I will be working closely with the US Constitution, and leading groups of students through an interactive exhibit that teaches them about it.

The Archives holds millions of documents about the formation and history of the US, and many families come to the Archives to learn about that history and how their family specifically fit into the nation's story. I will be guiding these families through the process of finding this information, and helping them fill in the blanks.

Students each spring across DC come together to celebrate National History Day, and the Archives plays a huge role in preparing this event, and also helping students get access and interpret the information that they will use in their projects.

My final task is to do a bit of research on my own. I am not sure if this will be on a large topic in American history, or if it will be something small and perhaps more personal, but I will have so many resources at my fingertips, that they are just itching to get back into history and I am sure to come across something fascinating!

My internship is not the only thing I will be doing in DC. I am a part of a program through Concordia College that allows me to take classes at the same time I will be interning. One of these classes is about the Supreme Court's upholding of the US Constitution, which will correlate nicely with my internship. The other class looks at art and architecture in Washington, and how our nation's capital was deliberatly built with the designs and enginuity that stands there today.

Of course, being in the nation's capital, I will be taking all that it has to offer. This includes visiting other museums and monuments in DC, getting in on some fantastic arts performances and viewings, seeing the culture close up, watching our government function daily, both in the White House and Capital, and giving back to the community by volunteering.

This semester looks to be quite an adventure...stay tuned to see how it turns out!