MOLAA- Museum of Latin American Art Final Week

Hola todos. I can't believe I have concluded my internship at MOLAA already. The best is yet to come!
"Experience is the teacher of all things."

Today concluded the final week of the Summer Art and Culture Camp here in Long Beach at MOLAA: Museum of Latin American Art. Working with children of all age groups, characters, and interests has been a wonderful experience because of the many skills I have learned in all kinds of situations. By now, the routine has become second nature to me after the first two weeks of hustling, improving, modifying, and ultimately solidifying what has worked best for all those involved.

The whole internship experience has been heavily loaded with networking opportunities that have taught me valuable lessons. Furthermore, through the physical journey from the valley to the beach, I have met many talented and insightful individuals, each with their own stories. I will never forget my time dedicated to this internship and how gradually everyday, I have grown as a strong young woman living in the 21st century.

As my YAP internship comes to an end, I have taken the time to debrief on my experience. Probably the most important lesson I have learned has been to always be open for learning in the smallest of opportunities. I really had not had the time to truly take in my surroundings, but this week, realizing that it would soon be time to leave, I did. I went downstairs from my cubicle, and besides the occasional kids' gallery tour, I decided to admire and analyze all the beautiful artwork within the confines of the museum. I got back into an inquisitive mindset that I had not exactly put into practice since school ended. I had a wonderful time. The artwork based on political, social, and religious topics truly opened my eyes. I spoke to the security guard in the gallery, and he said that even after so many years working at the museum, there was something new he always saw in the artwork displayed. I thought this was beautiful. It's this openness for new ideas and perspectives that really allows progress in life and all its varying aspects.

My last few days involved cleaning up after the summer camp ended. In addition, I created surveys for parents, teachers, volunteers, and campers to analyze their experience and how it could be improved. I also helped create a second backdrop for the Latino Comics Expo similar to the one I had done before but on a grander scale.

The four weeks working completely flew by, probably because they did not really feel like work. It was so much more than that. On my last day, I entered the Curator of Education's office, we talked, and she gave me a general assessment of how I did. She told me that because of the rapport I helped create in the workplace, my dedication, and willingness to serve, I had been one of the best interns they've had in years. I naturally did what I did because of the need I felt to contribute and give my all, but it was refreshing to hear that even my most subtle efforts had not gone unnoticed. The discussion we had on the last day was very interesting because she ended up teaching me about art history, the major contributions, messages, and implications in all works as those hung up in our offices. I felt blessed in this reaffirmation of the knowing I had been surrounded by such intelligent people that I will remain in touch with. I gave her my thank you note, one last hug, and walk out.

That same week I also partook in my community outreach event with fellow 2016 Young Ambassador, Dayanna and alumni: Diana and Adan. It went well because we both had experience working with kids and had learned way to captivate target audiences. We set up our table, read without a disturbance, and concluded with the activities. There were kids from around 5 to 13 years old. In true YAP fashion, we all gathered at a local paleteria and spend a lovely evening together, sharing stories.

I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to the Smithsonian Latino Center for this wonderful opportunity. Washington Week truly was only an incredible beginning for all the learning opportunities that would follow. Thank you to all the amazing YAP alumni, mentors, leaders, and my fellow 2016 ambassadors. I have enjoyed reading about your own internships and have been continually inspired by your hard work and dedication! I wish you all the best in all your future endeavors.

Much love,
Dania Torres

Final Week at the Atlanta History Center

Dear friends,

   Last Monday was my last day at the Atlanta History Center. My experience at the History Center was fantastic. I got to meet awesome people and get a lot of experience with children. The internship at the History Center really helped improve my public speaking, since I had to do presentations and come up with activities to help children learn more about United States history in a interactive way.



   The staff at the History Center were always very kind to me, They always asked me if I felt comfortable in doing something and told me that I could let them know at any time if I wanted to change my routine. This summer has definitely been one of the best I have ever had, and it made me feel very good when one of the moms told me that her child mentioned that his favorite part of the camp was me. I hope everyone had/has such a good time as I did.

Saludos,
David Alexander Garcia

The San Antonio Museum of Art- Week 4

This is my last full week at the San Antonio Museum of Art. As my internship draws to a close, with only 3 full days left, I feel blessed to have had this opportunity. My internship has been more helpful in my development as a person than I ever could have imagined. I never though I would find such a connection to my passion in architecture through this. I remember one of the speakers during Washington week had a quote that many people repeated afterwards, always say yes. While I do think the importance of choosing what not to do is understated in importance, I do agree with the spirit of this message and it something I heard again this week.

During this week, the other interns at the museum and I had the opportunity to sit down with the Latin American art curator. The first question he was asked was how he became a curator which lead to a little bit of his life story. He said that he went to college without knowing what he wanted to do and decided when he was two years in that he wanted to take a brake and figure that out. He ended up going on a trip to mexico and fell so in love with the culture that he decided he wanted whatever career path would let him spend the most time there. So he got a degree in anthropology and later in life became a Latin American art curator for the museum. The lesson he wanted us to take away from his story is that many times in life, you make a decision without knowing that it could change the entire course of your life. Many times, things take on a larger influence in our life than we ever could have known when we started.

In my past blog posts. I've written about how this experience as a young ambassador has shown me the ways to achieve my dreams. When I first applied and decided to become a part of this program, I had no idea what impact it would have for me. I really barely even knew what the program was. It did however seem like the most productive thing I could do with my summer and sounded a whole lot better than working at Academy for three months. Know because of it, I have a new found vision and direction for the next part of my life.

Paola Longoria

This week all my work researching the history and architecture of the museum finally came to its culmination. All of the interns including myself gave presentations on out respective topics of research this past Tuesday. I took all of the people working in the education department on a tour of the architectural features of the museum. I am extremely proud to say that some of the materials I created for the tour may actually end up being used to inform visitors of the museum on its architecture. I was surprised at how easy it was for me to give the presentation. Because I am so passionate about the topic, I just found information naturally and easily pouring out of my mouth. I can assure you that the majority of my presentation experiences haven't been so easy. 

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend my first YAP alumni event. We had awesome Tex-Mex at Trudy's and I got to me some more awesome members of our awesome familia. Leaving the event I felt nostalgic for Washington week and wishing I could see all my fellow 2016 cohort members. Please let me know if any of you are ever in town so we can meet up. The realization that my internship is ending is bittersweet. I'm excited to start college and feel energized by all I've learned. Knowing that the end of an experience that has been so great is right around the corner is hard to take.

History Colorado - Final Week

Hello,
I can't believe that today is my last day at the History Colorado Center. I've learned so much over the last month and I've had so much fun.

This week we celebrated Colorado Day, the 140th anniversary of Colorado's admittance to the Union. It was amazing! About 2,100 people came to the museum on Monday. We had performing pigs, cheerleaders, alpacas, artists, a real living bull snake and of course a birthday cake. I spent time handing out water, talking to vendors, and manning the general store in an exhibit called Keota, where kids an exchange eggs from the barn for coins and see what they could have bought in 1925. I also got to go inside of the Colorado State Capitol for the first time when we delivered some provisions for the celebrations over there.

 

 

 

I've been continuing my work on the online exhibit La Gente, which is nearly complete. The digital badges that students can earn at different levels (plains, foothills and 14ers) should go live pretty soon. Here's the link if you want to see it: http://exhibits.historycolorado.org/lagente/lagente_home.html

Also, here are the exhibit sketches I've been writing about for a while now:



 

 

 

It has been an absolute joy to be here at the History Colorado Center for the last month. I've enjoyed every moment of it, from researching early Hispanic Coloradans, to drawing exhibit plans, to manning the general store in Keota. Everyone here has been so supportive and kind, from teaching me how to use the microfilm machines in the library to answering my random questions about clause 11 of the Dawes Act. I will never forget my time here at History Colorado. It has influenced me in ways that I can't seem to put into words.


Lastly, I'd like to say thank you to History Colorado and the Smithsonian Latino Center for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Con mucho cariño,

Ilse Maria Meiler

 

Final week at ASC

(I'd like to apologize for my lack of timeliness despite your request to be on time, but today is my last day at my internship and here is the only place I have access to a computer).

Today is my last day at the Science Center, and I am quite upset! Upon arriving here in the morning I received a card signed by my supervisor, and a few other staff members I grew close to these past four weeks, as well as a box of cookies we have been enjoying throughout the day. This past week has been the best because I got to assist two teacher work shops, got to do another outreach event where I went to a pre-school and made ice cream with the kids, and was invited to speak about my experience as an intern in front of middle and high school teachers!

My time at the science center has been filled with nothing but positivity. Upon arriving at the science center, and Phoenix, everything seemed very unfamiliar, but I have been blessed with the ability to be independent and adapt to different places very quickly; I can now walk around downtown and even give directions to pedestrians who think I am a student at ASU. The staff and volunteers here have been eager to show me around and the "tricks" around the center, even better, we all bond by playing pokemon GO during our lunch breaks. Working at the science center not only has increased my knowledge and interest in the science field, but it has also improved my communication skills, which is something I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. Having to speak to guests, and being invited to speak about my experience has made me more confident and more willing to speak publicly. This has been an unforgettable experience, not only because I got to visit a new city, but also got to work in a setting that I was not so familiar with before arriving here, considering I have only had restaurant jobs the past three years of my life. Washington Week made me ready to start this internship, this new experience. It taught me to combine your passions, network, and communicate in order to make the best out of an experience. I was able to visit a natural world wonder, and make a friend for life, and that is something quite priceless. Everyone has the opportunity to learn something new everyday, but not everyone takes it; I have learned to take all the opportunities I can because they can only improve me.

PS. I am now a member of the ASC and can visit over 100 of locations within the nation for free!

Last Week at HistoryMiami

Hey everyone! I can't believe my internship is already over and that it's been six weeks since Washington Week. During my last week at HistoryMiami I prepared and later presented what I had done at my internship and the research that I did. As such, I had a lot of time to reflect about my internship experience at HistoryMiami. When I first stepped through the doors of the museum, my stomach was in knots because I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that I was to ask for Cynthia Toledo and that she would familiarize me with the building and staff. After spending four weeks at this museum with Cynthia by my side for anything I needed, I've come to realize that I should never listen to my nerves. If I had let my fears of something new stop me from applying to the Young Ambassadors program, I wouldn't have the amazing YAP Familia and now HistoryMiami family in my heart. I found myself crying when I was making my goodbyes at HistoryMiami because I learned so much while I was there and was met with so much kindness from everyone.

During my internship, I learned about women who influenced South Florida who are virtually unknown. I contributed to a children's tour through our main exhibit by researching children's books that fit the program's themes. Seeing the educator's face light up when she saw the books I had found was so worth it, and she ended up using one of the books I chose for the tour on Thursday! I also helped people discover museums for the first time when I worked as a gallery aide and answered their questions or simply told them the little known facts about the exhibit. I felt proud of every single thing I did at the museum and there's far too much to list (ranging from the research mentioned to organizing fuzzy pipe cleaners in a closet with more craft materials than a person could ever use)

The Storytime with a Young Ambassador was also really rewarding because it felt great to give my time to the community and share my love of reading with the kids that participated. The best part was being around the YAP familia that I miss so much. Seeing Francesca again was awesome because we got to reminisce on Washington memories and talk about our internship. We also had two YAP alumni come to our storytime, Sonia and Michelle, which made our YAP reunion a little bigger. They were both so nice and since Sonia had interned for HistoryMiami also, we got to bond over talking about the inside secrets and the best food around the museum. After reading the story, we all gave them their activities and even joined in ourselves by coloring pages with them. Little known fact: Francesca's coloring skills are amazing.

I want to thank the Young Ambassadors Program for giving me this amazing opportunity. I have grown so much during this summer by doing things I never thought I could and realizing that I have so much left to learn. The best part has definitely been the people I have met and look forward to keeping in touch with for many years to come. I'm so proud to be a part of the YAP familia, I love you all so much!

Although our time at our internships are done and Washington Week has long since past, we are- Siempre Presente!

Jessica Pupo

Adler Planetarium Week 3

Hey! Hope y'all are well!

I can't believe I'm coming into my final week with the planetarium! I'm going to miss all the folks I've met here. Lalapalooza started this week and of course its happening near the Adler, causing hella traffic and making the day really long.

This week my supervisor taught me how to use the office scanner to then input its metadata. The process was really easy to grasp, the hardest part was slowing myself down--I'm not sure if I mentioned in my other blogs, but the collections office is always below 50 degrees and once I get the hang of something I speed up to make myself warm from even simple body movements.

By the end of the week, everything felt like a routine. In all the places I've ever worked or volunteered I feel like my job description would change at a second's notice, but this week I got the chance to live a different type of job experience. Though it needs less creativity, archiving through the Minisis database requires more accuracy and focus.

On Thursday I accompanied my supervisors to a biweekly meeting with the various astronomers on the museum's campus. The meeting was basically catching up with each of the different projects occurring in the departments. Something that I noticed was that I heard these folks laughing before the meeting even began. It was nice to see the importance of a nice sense of humor. With  the meeting as an example, this trait resulted in a more bonded group, providing the perfect platform to share each other's knowledge.
In this meeting I heard about a project called the Adler Ice cream truck, where astronomers from different departments take the truck to parks and pass out free ice cream with a free ticket to the museum. I was really excited for this project because not only is it a unique form of outreach but it also really gets people motivated for astronomy.

Til next time,
Spooky Steph

MIM- Musical Instrument Musuem

MIM - Musical Instrument Musuem
07/31/16

My Final week at the MIM was great. My last day was preview day which went well teachers came and talked about the Field TRIP Options. I have been mostly this last week helping prepare for that week doing many copies and preparing more for the craft. I have was able to help the event and work at the surveys table and hand out the certificates for the teachers. :) My collegaeus who I worked with this summer where very sweet and took me to lunch. I really enjoyed being at the MIM and will definitely miss talking to all the people I met. I had to turn in my badge and I was really sad for that. :(  My plan is to defiantly come back and help out the MIM as a volunteer. Doing this internship I have learned how to get out of my comfort zone and talk to people and ask questions even though I am insecure. Always keep out for people who can help you in the future as well meeting such great people. Music really is the Language of the Soul and I love the MIM! :)

                   

   

Last Week-Frost Science

At the beginning of my internship not only were my parents very skeptical, but they almost didn’t let me do it because they believed safety was an issue.  However, I can now say that if I hadn’t done this internship I would’ve been at a major loss.  Throughout my internship I have gained valuable communication, computer, and life skills that will be very beneficial as I enter this new chapter of my life.  I have also met so many amazing people who have given me numerous points of life advice and I was able to discover what I would and would not like to do when I enter my career.  I have learned that when I begin my career I don’t want to be cooped up in an office doing computer work, I’d rather be interacting with people and out in the field.  Throughout this week this point has become clearer than ever to me.

We made a mess with liquid nitrogen bubbles

My last week started off on the computer where I organized spreadsheets and looked up all the email addresses for principals in Dade County (which was a challenge).  On Wednesday, I went to an outreach at a library in Hialeah where I assisted the facilitators with the “Gross Bodies” lab.  While the outreach was a lot of fun, I also got to witness some very interesting things in Hialeah.  One person had a statue of a seal outside of their house named Herbie, another lady was crossing the street while doing a verrrry interesting dance, and lastly outside of the library there were eggs being fried on a solar panel.  On Thursday, I got to help and watch a “Freeze It” demo that dealt with liquid nitrogen.  This was one of the highlights of my week because I never knew liquid nitrogen was so cool.  Lastly, I ended this week by going on an outreach at the Coral Gables Museum where my coworkers and I did two Roller coaster programs.  I really enjoyed this program because it was fun interacting with the kids and seeing the different methods they used to build their own coaster.  Also, since I plan on studying engineering and the program dealt with engineering it was great seeing the kids become engineers for a day.  During my last outreach, a little girl came up to me and told me she was also named Francesca which was pretty cool.  Helping with the outreaches taught me the importance of being engaged in the community and getting young children involved in science.  I learned that I enjoy outreaches so much more than doing computer work because I could feel that I was making a difference in the community whether it was getting one kid interested in science or making a kid's day by telling them happy birthday.

Liquid Nitrogen Demo

Eggs in Hialeah

Liquid Nitrogen Cloud

Roller coaster lab

ICE CREAM!!!!!

My last week ended with my coworkers surprising me and bringing me to an ice cream shop in Little Havana.  I was extremely excited because I LOVE ICE CREAM and had never been to Little Havana before.  They also gave me a glass heart with some of the rocks I classified in it.  The gift was very thoughtful and it showed they appreciated all the work I helped with.

Overall, the two hour trek to get to the museum and the two hours to get back home was definitely exhausting; but, the experience I gained by interning at the museum is something I will be forever grateful for.  I can’t wait to visit the new museum that is opening at the beginning of next year and all the amazing people I worked with (Michelle B).

Adios for now!

National Museum of Mexican Art - Week Four

Hello!

It is unbelievable how quickly time passes, this was the final week at my internship and I somehow still can't wrap my head around that.

The beginning of the week involved me completing some research for teachers curriculum in the fall, specifically team building activities. My second project for the week researching about The Huichol people to create an assessment for adults. I tackled this project very open minded, considering I was clueless on the topic. I was fascinated by the amount of Mexican History I learned, and wish to continue learning about my roots. Learning does not just involve a school setting, rather happens all the time without us noticing it. Every opportunity is a chance to learn something new and feel as if I have learned more than ever this summer.

  

Growing as a person is something I learned from Washington Week, and decided it would be ideal to share my experience from Wednesday with my fellow YAP family. Last summer I took classes at a school near me to complete a Certification in Legal Interpreting. That same summer, I did an internship at a Law Office in which I practiced my interpreting skills. One of the clients I worked with for several appointments asked me if I could kindly interpret for him at his appointment with USCIS in downtown Chicago. The appointment was this week and it was my first time interpreting a real case. It was surreal. Considering it was my first time, I was extremely nervous due to the fact that simultaneously interpreting legal terminology from English to Spanish is a lot harder than you would think. Surprisingly, I knew more than I thought. I walked into that room believing in myself and knew it was one step closer to becoming a better Interpreter.

On Thursday, I was sitting in my desk working on some research when Rebecca, the Permanent Collection Curator walked in looking for someone. One decision changes everything. I asked her why she was frantically looking for this person, and it turns out Laura Molina was at the other end of the hallway. Her painting, Amor Alien, is one of the most recognized in the museum. She explained to us what the story was behind the painting she created, which was a million times better than reading about it. One decision of simply asking led me to meeting Laura. One decision can change a lot, even if it's small.

Laura Molina's painting, Amor Alien.

Friday morning I walked into the museum, and couldn't believe it was all coming to an end. Ricardo, Director of  Education, organized a lunch date for me to meet with two Immigration Lawyers. We drove to downtown Chicago, where we met up with Giovanna and Lindsay. I had Greek food for the first time, and felt a million times better about the career choice I want to persue. They were very honest and gave me guidance that will ultimately lead me into the right direction. All the networking skills I learned during Washington Week have been used a lot since I've been back. They also told me to consider having an internship with them next summer, the world is filled with possibilities.

Lindsay, Giovanna and I at lunch!

Everyone at the office was extremely kind to me throughout the four-week period I was there. I felt very comfortable with everyone and they have a special place in my heart. Lately, I have realized that as you grow up, you find people that have more in common with you and have the same outlook in life. They were all passionate people, who had a goal of making the community better.

Working at the National Museum of Mexican Art taught me a lot and would relive the past month again if I could. I learned more about Art, Mexican History and most importantly, about myself. I want to continue getting out there by applying for more internships in the future. I feel accomplished in the sense that I tried something new and widened my perspective about museums. I love Pilsen! Definitely put me out of comfort zone and felt like a little piece of Mexico.

It has been absolutely rewarding sharing with all of you on this blog. It has even pushed me to create my own! If you still have time left at your internship location, enjoy it. Time goes by quickly, therefore make the most out of it.

Best of luck with the beginning of the school year fellow YAP,

Andrea Vallejo

The Tech Museum of Innovation - Week 4

Hello hello,

         The final week of my internship has arrived and I got to say that I will defiantly miss the Tech Museum. My official last day is this upcoming Tuesday. I have gotten the opportunity to get to know some really nice and helpful staff members and if it was not for their help and generosity I would have done really really bad at the exhibits I was stationed at. I am thankful for that. Something that I have gotten from this experience is better communication skills and I believe that if it was not for the Young Ambassadors Program, over all, I would still be that extremely shy girl at the beginning of June.
         This final week at the Tech nothing unusually happened; everything went great. There were no new exhibits I was stationed at but I did get stationed at exhibits by myself. Usually for the past three weeks I would be stationed with at least a staff member incase I did not know what to do or a guest came up with something I could not answer. This week I was alone at certain exhibits and yes I was a little nervous about that but, in my opinion, everything ran smoothly.

(Pictures!! Finally!)

Attached above is one of the pictures I took from an exhibit called Just Wing It. In this exhibit guest, especially little kids, get the opportunity to build their own glider using different types of wings and tails. They get a total of five flights to test their gilders and make a goal for their glider.

These two pictures above are part of the exhibit called Cyber Detectives which is made up of different activities for guest to do and this is one of them. In this activity guest are given three different types of keys and they try to fit it into the lock and see if it will work. If all three keys do not work then guest learn how to pick the lock and change the pins so one of the keys will work. (It is really hard to pick the lock, in my first week a little girl asked for help and I tried to help her but to no success). Sorry for the small amount of pictures!

All in all, my time at my internship was one of a kind and it will be missed.
Best wishes,
Brisdy

FWM

Coworker playing pinball machines. It is so addicting playing them and so much fun. Plus it was unlimited and free so why not!

Saturdays are for Research projects done by UTArlington 

Can be found in one of the rooms

Can be found next to gift shop

Frogger game arcade game

Blueprint of pinball machine

Pinball machine

Arcade Game

STEM Camp

Can be found in 2nd floor

One of my coworkers

Human Body found in 2nd floor inside of 75th Anniversary exhibit

Dynamo mascot. Celebrating its birthday

coworker

Facts about Museum

Texas y'all. Longhorns

STEM Camp