Internship at the Priddy Library

            My name is Hanaa Ashraf and I am a History major at the Universities at Shady Grove. This fall semester I started my very first internship at the Priddy Library. So far, some of the work I have done have included devising and planning ideas for an exhibit on diversity at the library as well as working with Human Resources to create a webpage on diversity and inclusivity at USG.      

            The exhibit that will go up in the library is supposed to be educational and informative, yet fun and interactive. So far, I came up with ideas such as national foods and cultural holidays around the world. However, I have not gotten this approved with the library director, Irene Munster, yet.

            Most of my time has been spent helping Human Resources here at USG with defining terms that relate to diversity and inclusion for the website that has been recently launched. Up until now, there was no department at USG for diversity. The webpage is meant to be there for educational purposes but also as a resource for students and faculty facing issues concerning diversity.

            As someone with a history background and as some in public history, I had thought that brainstorming ideas for an exhibit and creating exhibits would be an easier task than it may seem now. In other words, it is a very different form of learning than the classroom learning I am used to. I imagine this may have to do more with this being my first internship and the lack of experience I have in this area. Nevertheless, my experience with the exhibits has reminded me how many skills there are that I still need to improve, something that I hope to continue to do with this internship, my career, and beyond.

The Dawn of a New Day: Legislative to Executive Branch

Chapter 1: Branching Out

            Greetings, I would like to welcome you back to the political journey that I have been on this year. My year began as a legislative intern in Delegate David-Fraser Hidalgo’s office in the Maryland General Assembly. That was a pleasant experience that enlightened my perspective on government and politics. This opportunity served as an excellent foundation in politics and inspired me to continue in that realm. I felt that this momentum would be well served to explore more opportunities within government. Therefore, I decided to apply to the Governor’s Summer Internship Program. This program started in 1987 and is operated through the Shriver Center on UMBC’s main campus. This is a competitive program as it offers twenty Marylander’s the opportunity to work in Maryland’s executive branch. I rejoiced when I discovered that I was chosen to be a part of such a prestigious program.

            After the orientation, it was time to begin and get to work. I was curious about my role and if I would be treated as “just an intern” or as someone that was a young bright mind that could assist in the daily activities of the executive branch. The program is setup to pair each of the GSIP (Governor’s Summer Internship Program) fellows with a senior level staffer. I was fortunate to be paired up with Patrick Lally, Senior Executive Director of the Governor’s Coordinating Offices. Patrick has a highly reputable career, one of his more prominent positions was as the director of New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s DC office. He has excelled in public administration throughout his career, which, is one of the reasons that he was appointed to one of the top administrative positions within the Hogan administration.

GCO’s purpose is to carry out the Governor’s goals by coordinating with the public and private sector to implement his policies in an effective and efficient manner.

                                

Figure 1. Governor’s Coordinating Offices (Front)

            I soon realized that my placement, the program, and especially Pat would treat me as a Full-time employee and not as an intern. I learned this early on as I was tasked with matters that were vital to the office and to Maryland. My first task focused on the Banneker-Douglass Museum, which, is one of the best African-American museums for material culture. I was tasked with ensuring that the administration was doing everything it could to help the museum run efficiently and was receiving adequate support. I worked with the museum and the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives to assess any issues and to develop timely solutions. It was a fruitful endeavor as we cultivated relations that resulted in a renewed support of the museum. It should be mentioned that the GSIP visit to Annapolis began at BDM as it is a fundamental aspect of Annapolis and Maryland’s rich history. I feel that might be a pleasant place to work/intern as they truly enjoy what they do.

Figure 2. Banneker-Douglass Museum (Downtown Annapolis)

            One of the best traits of GSIP was its variety and the opportunities that we could take part in. I enjoyed was our trip to Paul’s Place, which is a charitable organization located in “Pigtown”, a section of Southwest Baltimore. For any Orioles or Ravens fans, it is just a couple blocks west of Camden Yards and M & T Bank Stadium. This area of Baltimore faces limited job opportunities as most were taken away when the trains stopped coming in and the pig slaughterhouses were shut down. Paul’s Place serves as a place for the locals to acquire donated clothing, learn job skills, write a resume, conduct an interview, receive counseling and most importantly just get a free hot meal. This experience made the entire program worth doing just by itself. I met some kind local folks of Baltimore that wake up each day not knowing if they will eat or where they will sleep. I was glad to serve them and actually had some intriguing conversations with “Wolfman” about martial arts. “Wolfman” is 72 years old and has been involved with Paul’s Place for at least the last decade. Overall, this project served as a wonderful opportunity for each of us GSIP fellows to serve the community firsthand.

Figure 3. Yamilex and I enjoying our service day at Paul’s Place (Awesome Hats right?)

            The journey to the executive branch has officially started in the Governor’s Coordinating Offices. I am ambitious to learn more about the administration and the ways that I can help carry out policies that will best serve Marylanders. The GSIP experience got off to a strong start with the Banneker-Douglass Museum and Paul’s Place. I will delve into the second important part of the GSIP experience. I feel that my momentum transitioned smoothly into GSIP and could serve to make for a wonderful experience. Tune in next month for Chapter 2!

Sincerely,

Victor F. Mercogliano

Historic Medley District

At the beginning of the month I began my internship at the Historic Medley District in Poolesville, Maryland. As a history major, and especially as a public history minor, my intention upon undertaking this endeavor was to gain firsthand experience working in a small local historical organization.

As this position did not formally exist before I got into contact with the organization’s directors, I was given a certain amount of leeway when pitching projects to my supervisors. I suggested to them that I would be interested in organizing and digitizing their archives. At the time their archives were essentially a collection of nearly a dozen boxes stuffed to the brim with assorted documents. Sorting through these boxes, I was able to find several fascinating items slipped in between piles of hand scribbled notes and flyers for past events sponsored by the Historic Medley District. These included a grammar book from 1860, an insurance policy taken out in 1885, and a collection of letters written by a soldier stationed in Poolesville during the Civil War.

The John Poole House
 

I currently work in their office, which is located above the John Poole House, a colonial trading post once built by the town’s founder in the 1760s. The bulk of my time so far has been dedicated to sorting through and cataloguing these documents in order to make it easier to categorize them in the future. Though this can prove exceptionally tedious, the idea of building a new archive from the ground up is a truly incredible opportunity.

Campfire Tripod outside the John Poole House

  

The idea that I am responsible for organizing and digitally preserving historical documents is a daunting one, but being thrown into the proverbial deep end of the pool is in many ways the perfect kind of learning experience. This internship is providing a secure environment in which I can try, fail, learn from my mistakes, and create what could become an enduring aspect of this historical organization.