Yertle Sculpture and Kilroy Administration Building

Interning at the Springfield Museums: An Easy Decision

May 26, 2020
Local Connections

Hi! My name is Kirsten and I am currently a senior in my last semester studying Public and Corporate Communications at Westfield State University. Growing up, like so many of us in the area, I had many play dates at the Springfield Museums, so it was a no-brainer when my internship coordinator suggested I reach out in search of a placement.

From my very first communications with the museum’s staff I felt incredibly welcomed and appreciated. After a brief interview with Karen Fisk, who works as the Director of Marketing and Communication Strategy, in which both of our needs and wants from an internship were discussed, I began my time in the Kilroy House on the museums campus in January of this year.

My first few weeks as an intern were spent getting to know the people I would be working alongside and practicing managerial tasks. After dipping my toes in, I began what would become my first project which was discovering more about the world for social media influencing. As a Communications student, we are constantly being taught the importance of social media, so it was rewarding to see skills I had learned in courses being put to work.

One of my favorite memories from this internship experience was working as an attendant in the Science Museum for the February school vacation week. When I was younger I watched the PBS show Dinosaur Train with my siblings on a regular basis, which is why experiencing children’s excitement over seeing their favorite show come to life within this exhibit has stuck with me. While I was helping out in the exhibit, a reporter from 22 News asked me if I would have any interest in doing a quick interview, which is not something I would usually put myself in a position to do but that this internship created for me.

In March, we learned that the museum would need to close due to Covid-19, as a student that is interning for college credits, this scared me. However, Karen was quick to reassure me that there would still be plenty to do and that my once in house internship would simply become a virtual one. Now, working as a virtual intern, much of what I do to help out revolves around research; from researching other museum’s responses to the pandemic to learning about new exhibits.

I am grateful to the museum for providing me with hands-on experience in the field of Communications that I hope to one day become a part of and wholeheartedly recommend anyone who is able to to intern here to do so.

Flowers outside a building The view from the intern office includes not only these flowers but also Yertle the Turtle!!