Olivia Cawood and Noah Allen-Darden
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS PROVIDE BENEFITS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM. Since summer 2015, more than 90 students in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of History have participated in about 12,000 hours serving the community through internships. Nearly 20 community partnerships provide students with the opportunity to sharpen their historical thinking abilities and improve their graduate school and employment prospects in a range of disciplines. Two recent UTC history graduates parlayed their internships into advanced degrees, full-time museum roles and the opportunity to mentor current University students. “To be able to connect current students with students who were in their shoes just a few years ago makes this more personal,” says Michael Thompson, head of the UTC history 24
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department. “I think it’s easier for us to support our students and explain the benefits of our internship program when they can relate to those who have come before them.” Rebecca Hoback P’Simer, curator of collections at the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville, earned a bachelor’s degree from UTC in 2016. She landed several internships as an undergraduate, including three at the Museum Center at 5ive Points in nearby Cleveland, Tennessee. “I like to refer back to my own experience with internships when I am speaking to our interns,” P’Simer says. “I recall approaching Dr. Thompson and saying, ‘I know I don’t want to teach, but I need to explore other pathways with this history degree.’
