This post is part of our Internship Spotlight series. For this installment, Abbie Hughes (’27) tells us about her internship experiences at the Burke Museum.
Can you provide a brief introduction of yourself, what you did, and what you were looking to accomplish with this specific internship opportunity?
My name is Abbie Hughes, and I am a first-year graduate student in the MA in Museology program. I am a current intern with the Youth & Family Programs department at the Burke Museum. My interests in the museum field center on education and youth programming, so this internship is the perfect opportunity to get hands-on experience with the Burke’s various program offerings. I have mainly been assisting with the Voices in Science program (high schoolers), Fossil Finders program (0-8 years old), Free First Thursdays (target audience teens+), and other outreach events.
In interning with your host site, did you feel like your contributions led to a tangible, sustainable, or positive impact?
I have been working closely with the education team at the Burke, and continue to learn so much about the behind-the-scenes process for what makes a successful program possible. As a future museum educator, I am grateful to be involved. My input is valued and integrated into the programming, I am able to interact with visitors, and I can assess what works well and needs improvement.
In what ways did your internship unexpectedly challenge you? How did you overcome that?
Education is an ever-changing field, and museum education in particular is put in a unique position since it must constantly evaluate how to best serve visitors. Each visitor has different expectations, interests, and needs, and I have learned facilitation practices for different age groups and types of audiences.
How did this internship help you narrow down what you would like to do in your career?
This internship has confirmed my interest in museum education and public programs as what I want to pursue professionally.
In what ways did your classes prepare you for your internship?
My internship and my Museology courses go hand-in-hand. I can apply what I have learned in my classes to my internship and see how the readings, lectures, and discussions play out in real time.