The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving our heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world. The Institution was founded in 1846 with funds from the Englishman James Smithson (1765–1829) according to his wishes “under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” To learn more about SI click here.
I have had the opportunity to experience two Smithsonian Institution internships. In the summer of 2016 I was a policy analyst intern for the Office of Contracting and Personal Property Management. I gained knowledge of museum relations and how financial negotiations are organized in a museum setting.
As an intern I edited and proofread policies for my supervisors and helped with several contracting and policy making projects. Before I was able to help with the contracting and policy projects, I had to take and pass a Smithsonian financial management course. One of the largest projects I worked on was a policy training course.
I was able to research different procurement policies and incorporate them into the course using Adobe captivate. After the course was given, I was then in charge of issuing out completion certificates to participants of the course. I also helped design and edit a department newsletter.
In the winter of 2017 I was an advancement intern for the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. During this internship I gained knowledge of the different ways museums are funded. A lot of the funding comes from donations and I was able to help compile a list of donors and also assist in researching each donor.
Although these internships do not directly relate to my studies at Radford University, I have been able to use the skills I have learned to succeed in both of these internship positions. I have extensive research skills and also have skills in critical analysis and policy writing due to the many policy papers and briefs I have had to turn in. If you would like to know more about my internship journey and the international connections I was able to make, please click the button below to view my internship journals.