by My internship with the Digital Folklife Magazine so far as been quite the experience! Since I started in September, there has been a lot of takeaways from the experience. One of these experiences has been the excitement and enjoyment that comes with both researching and interviewing people for topics that I am working on. Most history work that I have done has revolved around combing through peer-reviewed articles, but my time with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage has provided me a path on how to conduct interviews. With my experiences so far, there is much to talk about when discussing enjoying the research of a topic.
Continuing on from before, the best part of the experience has been the interviewing process. Acquiring primary sources through human interaction has been the pinnacle of entertainment in research for my article. To be able to hear and record the stories of the professional futsal clubs and their ties to cultural or national identity has both enhanced and modified how I look at certain clubs across the United States. The two interviews I have done with Tyler Weiss (Maccabi USA) and Tony Toral (New York Ecuador FC) was filled with hearing passionate stories and histories, as well as insights on how their professional club revolves around their national identity. Furthermore, interviews with additional players and staff have provided additional perspectives for my article.
For the internship, there are definitely some things that I wish they could do. I feel that the inclusion of guest professionals who work in digital history would be great. Lena Crown, who is a frequent speaker in the internship, has been nothing short of spectacular. However, I am someone who enjoys acquiring a diversity of thought and opinion when writing a research paper or article. Other than that, the internship experience has been a pleasant one.
My internship experience has also helped me understand my work flow and style. When it comes to researching and writing papers, my biggest struggle has been building consistency in my work flow. However, I have discovered that I work better when I focus on a set of small, achievable tasks over a short span of time, rather than try to flesh as much as possible out in a given time frame. I feel that I am someone who likes to do as much as possible, but that shouldn’t translate to doing it in a single day. This internship’s flow rate has really made me look at how I do my work differently.
To conclude, there have been a lot of positive experiences for me so far. The professor and classmates have been both professional and insightful in providing each other for our articles. On top of that, individuals like Lena Crown who’ve taken time out of their day to help has provided a moral boost for all participating interns. While I would love to see more guest speakers, the ability to provide interviews to people for my articles alone has made my internship one to be envied as a template for positive fundamental development. As the remainder of the semester goes on, I am to expand my positives and remedy any negatives that come with my internship. Overall, everything has been fantastic!
