Over the last five years, the UCI Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives partnered with the School of Humanities’ History Internship Class, to provide undergraduates a hands-on opportunity to engage in historical research. Every year student interns are placed with various Orange County organizations, including the UCI Libraries, where they engage with historical special collections, conduct research, and develop exhibits using these materials.
In 2018-2019, the Libraries hosted four interns. Two of the interns, Cheyenne Read and Michelle Nguyen, collaborated on an exhibit with librarians Krystal Tribbett and Thuy Vo Dang on the creation of Strategies for Mobilization in Orange County, an exhibit currently on display at the UCI Libraries’ Orange County and Southeast Asian Archive. The interns’ exhibit highlights various Orange County communities’ organization for political activism, protest and legislative change. Cheyenne focused specifically on African American communities in Santa Ana, and communities organizing for environmental change and youth action. Michelle focused on South East Asian communities in Orange County.
Daisy Mendoza, worked with Librarian Derek Quezada on an exhibit called, The Chicano Experience: From Early Settlers to Present-Day Reformers, which explores the lives of the earliest Latino ranchers and the eventual emergence of a Chicano identity in Los Angeles and Orange County. The establishment of this identity ultimately led to greater representation and activism on the UCI campus and in the Orange County community at large.
The internship class, in conjunction with the hands-on experience in the Libraries, provides students with a better sense of how classroom learning translates into a wide range of opportunities after graduation. The UCI Libraries are proud of our role in this partnership and of the excellent skills that our history interns have displayed in processing collections, conducting research, and curating exhibits.
For more information on UCI Libraries interns, please contact Audra Eagle Yun at audra.yun@uci.edu.