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Internship Spotlight – Holocaust Center for Humanity

–Sydney Dratel, Class of 2018.

The Holocaust Center for Humanity’s Exhibition Space on 2nd Avenue.
The Holocaust Center for Humanity’s Exhibition Space on 2nd Avenue.

When I started  the Museology program, I was not expecting to land an internship right away. In a student newsletter sent out over the summer, I saw a listing for an internship with Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity. The description was fascinating (work with primary documents, having ownership over a large project), and so I decided to apply. I am so glad that I did, because my internship experience has reaffirmed my interest in working in Holocaust museums and has taught me a variety of skills that I can apply to any museum job I may have in the future.

My current internship is within the Collections department at the Holocaust Center for Humanity, which is the only Holocaust museum in the Northwest. My project is to label, scan and digitize a set of letters written by David Wilsey, a US Army anesthetist stationed in France and Germany during World War II. He and his army group, the 116th Evacuation Hospital, were the first American army doctors to enter the Dachau concentration camp in April 1945 and help with its liberation.

Getting ready to label and scan letters within the second binder (January-May 1945).
Getting ready to label and scan letters within the second binder (January-May 1945).

In my prior museum experiences, I had worked in education or visitor services, so working with collections is a totally new facet of museum work for me. I majored in history as an undergraduate student, so working with primary documents is nothing new, but being the main person to interact with these letters is really special. I have loved reading the stories expressed in these letters, and it is fascinating to connect Wilsey’s experiences to what I have learned about World War II in my academic career.

At the Holocaust Center, I have been able to broaden my experience by working to label, scan and archive primary documents. My supervisor has been a great help to me during this process. Although her job title is Education Associate, Julia is well-versed in various departments of the museum, including visitor relations and collections. This reality of museum workers, especially in small museums, wearing many hats is something that has been emphasized in our Museology classes. Seeing this in practice helps both to underscore the importance of a holistic museum studies education and to reinforce what we learn in class.

Transcribing on the right screen by looking at the scanned primary documents on the left screen.
Transcribing on the right screen by looking at the scanned primary documents on the left screen.

Taking ownership of a project in a museum like the Holocaust Center is a great way to build leadership and concrete museological skills at a higher level. I have truly enjoyed working with these documents and learning about David Wilsey’s life. Reading an unedited firsthand account of what it was like to serve overseas during this time is incredibly powerful and very fulfilling on a personal level.

Through my internship at the Holocaust Center for Humanity, I had an opportunity to connect museological theory I learned in class to practice, forge professional and personal connections, and become engaged in the Seattle museum community. I look forward to continuing my work on this project, and to seeing how this experience will influence my career after graduate school. I have learned  so much during  this internship and  feel that this project has allowed me to tap into the power of one of the many individual stories that come together to perfectly express the purpose and value of museums.