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