Misericordia Student Awarded Keystone Internship

West Pittston native Kendall Williams, a senior at Misericordia University and a graduate of Wyoming Area High School, was awarded the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Keystone Internship at the Anthracite Heritage Museum in Scranton.

According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Internships website, this is a curatorial immersion internship at Anthracite Heritage Museum, which tells the story of Pennsylvania's hard coal and related industries, the historic immigrant culture of northeastern Pennsylvania, and the evolution of the region's culture. During her internship, Williams will work closely with museum staff to implement curatorial activities related to new collections and exhibits.

These include researching and identifying prospective new collection items that relate to and enhance the museum's mission; learning the decision process and obligations related to acquisitions; processing collections items to professional museum standards using Argus collections management software; experiencing collections care, handling, and storage; learning the principles of museum exhibition; and developing, curating, and installing a small community exhibit.

The paid internship experience will also include public engagement and the principles of museum management. Williams is expected to work between 225-300 hours during the internship, which begins June 6 and ends August 12. 

The Keystone Internship program is a state-sponsored program that places student interns at state agencies throughout PA, and is a very competitive program. This year's applicant pool for the internship at the Anthracite Heritage Museum was one of the largest they've had with nearly 30 student applicants. 

"Kendall performed very well in the application and interview process. She brings a lot of experience to the table: as a major in our public history specialization, she has had several other experiential learning opportunities, including an internship, a dedicated work-study position in the University Archives, and a SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) fellowship last year, which resulted in a public history exhibit on nursing education in the region, using collections from the library and archives," said Jennifer Black, PhD., associate professor of history and government at Misericordia. 

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1924, Misericordia University is Luzerne County’s first four-year college and offers 56 academic programs on the graduate and undergraduate levels in full- and part-time formats.