Collections Internships

 

Anne Smyrl – Browman Intern Spring 2019 – now employed as HMFM’s Museum Assistant

Project: Research and development of the “We’ve Been Working on the Railroad” exhibit – originally installed in our Orientation Gallery and now featured as an online exhibit on our website.

 

Brock Flynn – Browman Intern Summer 2019 – Spring 2020

Projects: Research and development of the Montana Votes exhibit installed in our Orientation Gallery, completed archaeological research into objects within our collection, assisted with cataloging new donations to the collections.

 

Anna Schale – Browman Intern Spring 2020

Projects: Completed research as part of a joint project between HMFM and the public library and did research and development as part of the Fire Call exhibit installed in our North Gallery.

 

Danny Smith – Browman Intern & Development Intern – 2016 -2017

From 2016 to 2017, I held the role of volunteer, intern, and Browman Fellow at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. The experience is truly unique as it allows students, volunteers, and anyone interested in museum research, collections, and development to grow and learn in a non-profit setting. At HMFM, I had the great opportunity to work with collections and research as well as within Missoula’s community to identify, collaborate, and meet common goals. The staff, commitment to community, and immersion into Missoula’s cultural and business landscape make HMFM a unique place to learn and refine the skillsets necessary to thrive in a diverse range of career fields. The non-profit organization provides not only valuable contributions to one’s work experience and resume, but to the communities we exist in and connect to through interaction, learning, and the sharing of stories.

 

A note from Danny (recently received in the mail to the staff at HMFM):

 

Dear HMFM team,

I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to you for teaching and the many learning experiences you shared with me. I have accepted a full-time research position and it would not have been possible without your guidance and knowledge sharing. I wish you the absolute best in all endeavors.

 

 

Education Internships

 

Nicolas “Nico” Composto – AmeriCorps Vista Full Year 2017 – now employed as a history teacher at Big Sky High School in Missoula

My year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at HMFM was immensely impactful and fulfilling. At a time when the museum was undergoing many changes, I assisted Jessie, the Development Director, with outreach efforts as well as gathering information about the Missoula community. Further, I worked alongside Kristjana, the Education Director, in creating and sustaining education programs.

The achievement of which I am most proud from my year as a VISTA was the creation and successful implementation of the Junior Docent Program, which over the past two years has allowed many middle-school aged students to become tour guides at the museum. I consider myself lucky to have been able to spend that year supporting an organization as special as HMFM.

 

If I were to describe my term as a VISTA, I would say that it was perhaps the most influential experience of my adult life. Through working with Kristjana, I came to realize that I am passionate about the field of education. Since completing my AmeriCorps term, I have begun taking courses to become a certified social-studies teacher in Montana. I will be completing my program this upcoming spring, after which I hope to remain in Missoula, a community that I have come to love.

I cannot speak highly enough about my experience as an Americorps VISTA at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Thank you for those experiences.”

 

 

Living History Internships

 

 

 

Development & Communications Internships

 

Katherine Hochella – Virtual Exhibit Development Intern – Fall 2020 – now employed as a Donor Stewardship Coordinator at Virginia Tech

I was fortunate to intern under the direction of Jessie Rogers, Director of Development and Communications, who provided me with the tools to create virtual tours of the FMHM exhibits. I am very pleased to have been part of the team digitizing the exhibits because providing electronic access brings the museum’s collections directly to the public.  HMFM also houses the oldest steam locomotive in the United States and I was pleased to research and then create a promotional slide presentation to showcase the grand opening of the steam locomotive that is currently being refurbished on the museum grounds.

 

This internship experience has been invaluable to me because it clarified my interest in a museum-focused career.  I plan to pursue a master’s degree in museum studies and this internship is helping me clarify the direction of concentration that I will pursue.

 

All of the HMFM staff were welcoming and supportive mentors. I am grateful for this opportunity to experience the day-to-day planning and caring for a museum’s collections.  Gaining direct work experience through an internship like this one is important not only for discovering whether a potential career might be a good fit, but also for building confidence that, as an intern, I can make useful contributions.  This internship helped me communicate more effectively, organize thoughts and materials digitally, work with others as a collaborative team, and think creatively to promote the museum’s goals.

 

————————————————————————————-

Violet Plummer – Development & Event Intern – Spring, Summer, & Fall 2018

I was lucky enough to serve in the role of development intern at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. My focus was working with the development director, Jessie, on projects relating to development for the museum (these included fundraising, marketing, program development, and much more). My internship with HMFM has been an enriching experience in so many ways. I was expecting to learn about what it takes to run a nonprofit, and I ended up learning so much more.

 

One important thing that I have learned since I started interning with HMFM is the value of community in the place that you work. My time at HMFM taught me a lot about the value of community, whether that community is the place you live, the people you work with, or just a bunch of people who really love history. At the Fort, I felt so connected to my community, and I found that my community had grown to include the people of Missoula county, my coworkers, and all of the people that I met who shared a strong passion for history.

 

My time at HMFM also taught me a lot about the value of teamwork. In a nonprofit (especially one with a small staff like HMFM), it is really on hands on deck– all of the time. When I started, I thought that my work would be strictly related to nonprofit development, but I ended up doing work to help in so many other areas of the museum. Ultimately, this is a huge part of the reason that I was able to learn so much during my time with the museum. Rather than learning a lot about one specific aspect of nonprofit work, I got to serve in many different roles at the museum, which helped me learn that much more. I learned things that spanned from the best way to create an annual report to the best places to put signs in the ground (which is, of course, near the mole holes).

 

In the end, I am so grateful for my internship at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. The people I met, the skills I gained, and the lessons I learned won’t soon be forgotten. I feel like I have grown so much not only professionally, but personally in my time here, and I wouldn’t trade my time at HMFM for anything.

 

————————————————————————————-

Shannon Schneider – Development & Event Intern – 2017

I attended the University of Utah and received a  Bachelor’s Degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism with an emphasis in Hospitality Management. I wanted to work with HMFM to help them become more recognized.  I wanted to bring my love for museums together with my degree to show the world that museums are important places to visit while traveling.

 

The internship with Development Director Jessie Rogers helped me learn how to manage my time, learned how to put a location on the map, working from square one, and I also learned what attracts and doesn’t attract people to a location. What I loved most about my internship was the freedom I had to try new ideas as well as highlighting wonderful history. Plus, everyone there was insanely supportive and wanted to see me succeed. In doing that, I was able to get the help I needed, but they wouldn’t do the work for me.

 

One of my favorite memories was when I had to dress as the squirrel and have to be in the dunk tank to help raise money at the different festivals. It helped me learn that sometimes to really make people listen to a good cause, you need to hit their funny bone! It actually really helped me in earning a leadership position at LEGOLAND in California. It prepared me to know the importance in time management, organization, and communication in order to be successful.

 

I believe that it is important to try new jobs that you may not be completely comfortable with at first, but it is definitely one of the best learning opportunities. Sooner or later, it will become your new comfort zone, and it will lead to other new possibilities that you may have never thought of before.

 

————————————————————————————-