I was fortunate enough to get a fully remote internship at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, which was an exception they made for me! I worked under the Volunteer Coordinator, who had given multiple projects to finish throughout the semester. My biggest projects were creating volunteer guidebooks and creating a new volunteer tracking system. These projects will greatly benefit my future career because they gave me the foundational skills needed to transfer and organize data, as well as create informational guidebooks used as a reference tool by volunteers. This internship was perfect for my major in Anthropology because the museum is based off of natural history and having that understanding of Anthropology was beneficial, from the excavated artifacts to the ancient cultures. As a suggestion, taking those foundational courses in Anthropology would be best for an internship at this museum. Having that educational background in archaeology, biology, and cultural anthropology is best for understanding the exhibits and having the capability to explain them in a more in-depth way.
Furthermore, this internship helped me understand that I enjoy working in this field and to look for something similar in the future. A career where I am surrounded by information and can help guide volunteers. I may not have all the skills necessary to become a Volunteer Coordinator. I do have the entry level skills of communication, teamwork, and data organization needed for careers in this field. Finding an entry level job and working my way up would be best. One last piece of advice for incoming interns, is to go for that internship. It may be daunting at first, and a bit overwhelming. However, gaining that experience and understanding where you are in your anticipated field is valuable information.
The picture attached is from LVNHM. This is one of the most accurate replicas of the King Tut sarcophagus, which was donated to the museum from the Luxor Casino (MGM). One of the guidebooks I had created, which was a Spanish translated version of the Egypt guidebook had spoken in great detail on the donated items and how unique our collection is!
What amazing opportunities you had to utilize your skills! It sounds like you would make an incredible volunteer coordinator! Great job!
Hi Karina,
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your internship! It sounds super exciting. As a history major who volunteered with the Save Ancient Studies Alliance, it's super cool to hear about an anthropology major working with the Natural History Museum. I also agree with your advice to new potential interns. Being an intern can seem daunting at first, but getting to work with new people and gaining new skills in the field can make it very worthwhile.
I am so glad that you were able to find an internship that suiting you interests, Karina! I agree that these internships can be such a great way for us to really figure out what skills we have and what skills we still need to acquire. It is so useful to have these experiences as an undergraduate student because we are preparing ourselves for joining the workforce after graduation. It sounds like you were able to work on some really interesting projects!