Explore America Summer Internships
The Starr Center’s Explore America Summer Internship program is one of the most exciting and distinctive opportunities available to Washington College students — and characteristic of the hands-on learning that sets us apart from other liberal arts institutions.
2024 Summer Internship Applications will open January 25th and close February 15th.
Join us for an information session in The Egg on Tuesday, January 23rd at 5:30 p.m.
We match students with full-time, fully paid summer internships reserved for Washington College undergraduates at an array of leading cultural institutions and nonprofits. Past locations have included five different Smithsonian museums, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Apollo Theater, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Human Rights Campaign, the U.S. House of Representatives, and many others. In addition to providing paid jobs (up to $6,000 summer stipends) and valuable experience, Explore America Internships introduces students to mentors who sometimes change the course of their lives. Quite a few of our past recipients have been hired upon graduation at the places where they interned. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply.
Photo: Hannah Flayhart '22 was a conservation education intern at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md in the summer of 2021. Educating visitors inside the dolphin exhibit was just one of her duties during her experience.
About the Program
52nd Street Project, New York, NY
American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA
The American Scholar, Washington, D.C.
Apollo Theater, New York, NY
Biggs Museum of American Art, Dover, DE
Brown University's John Carter Brown Library, Providence, RI
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
Center for the Book, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Chadds Ford Historical Society, Chadds Ford, PA
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA
Delaware Center for Horticulture, Wilmington, DE
Easterseals of Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore, New Castle, DE
George Washington's Mount Vernon, Alexandria, VA
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York, NY
Hagley Museum, Wilmington, DE
Historic Jamestowne, Jamestowne, VA
Human Rights Campaign, Washington, D.C.
LGBT Center, New York, NY
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
Library of Congress, Publishing Office, Washington, D.C.,
Maryland Center for History and Culture, Baltimore, MD
Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, MD
Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia, PA
National Aquarium, Baltimore, MD
National Archives and Record Administration, Washington, D.C.
National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, D.C.
National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, GA
National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA
National Park Service - Harper's Ferry, West Virginia
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.
New-York Historical Society, New York, NY
Public Religion Research Institute, Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, Suitland, MD
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Society for Women's Health Research, Washington, D.C.
U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian, Washington, D.C.
Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA
Winterthur Museum, Gardens and Library, Winterthur, DE
The Explore America Summer Internship Program (formerly known as Comegys Bight) provides Washington College students with unique opportunities to integrate their academic work with real-world practice, resulting in experiences that often alter their life paths. Click here to read, see, and hear see more about our interns' past adventures.
The 28 Washington College students who made up the Explore America Summer Internship 2023 cohort represented 16 majors and came from all four class years at the College–including two international exchange students. Twenty-seven partner sites hosted students in 2023, in a variety of different formats: remote, hybrid, and in-person.
Ruby Baxley ’23: Society for Women’s Health Research
Anastasia Bekker ’24: National Endowment for the Humanities
Isabel Bendel-Simso ’23: Delaware Center for Horticulture
Braxton Berry ’23: Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture
Elcy Canales Escobar ’24: Maryland Center for History and Culture
Morgan Carlson ’25: Longwood Gardens
Paige Dauplaise ’24: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Faye Dorman ’26: Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library
Heather Fabritze ’25: The American Scholar
Jordan Hyde ’25: Public Religion Research Institute
Nakiyan Johnson ’24: Human Rights Campaign
Lucy Jolliff ’24: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Alyssa Kovacs ’23: Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
John Mangelli ’24: National Constitution Center
Taylor Mantyk ’24: Longwood Gardens
Claire Maskin ’25: Easterseals of Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Rae Merson ’24: Biggs Museum of American Art
Kaitlin Osucha ’25: George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Hannah Pacholok ’26: Chadd’s Ford Historical Society
Hilde Perrin ’23: Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Tseyang Pewa ’24: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Kamden Richardson ’24: U.S. House of Representatives – Office of the Historian
Delaney Runge ’24: Library of Congress – Literary Initiatives Office
Macallan Sansbury ’24: American Philosophical Society
Harriet Starkey ’23: New-York Historical Society
Andraya Sudler ’26: Hagley Museum and Library
Alex Trabold ’23: Maryland State Archives
Jack Yee ’25: National Aquarium
The application period for the 2024 Explore America Summer Internship Program will open on January 25th and close on February 15th, 2024. We will be hosting an information session in The Egg on Tuesday, January 23rd at 5:30 p.m. Please join us. For reference, click here to view our list of offerings for the summer of 2023.
Application Instructions for 2024
Applications for the 2024 Explore America Summer Internships will open on January 25th and close on February 15th, 2024. The complete list of participating institutions will be available soon.
A completed application includes:
1. An information sheet, available to download here during the open application period. It must include a list of desired internships in order of preference. You may be considered for multiple positions and are encouraged to list several opportunities on your Info Sheet. The Info Sheet also asks you to give the contact information for 3 references (two of which must be Washington College faculty).
2. A "Letter of Interest" that describes, in some detail, your strengths, interests, and experiences. Be sure to explain how the summer internships you are most interested in will help you to achieve your goals, your career aspirations, and how they connect to your academic work.
3. A resume.
4. A copy of your Washington College transcript (Student Self Service copies are acceptable).
Completed applications - with all documents presented in a single PDF or Word document - should be emailed to applications_starrcenterFREEwashcoll.
Eligibility
Students from a wide variety of majors are encouraged to apply. The Starr Center will consider applications from former interns, however applicants must articulate how the second internship would build on the previous one, rather than simply being a repetition. Most positions are open to students of all class years, including graduating seniors, although preference is given to sophomores and above.
Compensation
Stipends for selected interns will be dependent upon a position being full- or -part-time status, up to a maximum of $6,000. These funds may be used to cover living expenses during the internship period or spent/saved at the recipient’s discretion.
Availability
The 2023 internship listings include experiences that are remote, in-person, or hybrid (virtual work with limited in-person days or experiences). Please select your preferences accordingly. Selected interns will arrange their start/end dates directly with their host institutions. Most institutions have some flexibility in scheduling, although a few will need their interns to report for work during a specified period of the summer.
Obligations
Recipients are required to complete a survey and evaluation of their summer experience, to attend a dinner with the fellowship donors, and give an oral presentation on campus the following fall. Academic credit for these internships may be available on an individual basis.
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee looking for exceptional ability and commitment, excellent academic record, pronounced interest in/knowledge of subject area, strong oral and written communication skills, demonstrated maturity, and reliability. The Starr Center will notify applicants if they have been selected for a position in early March. Positions are filled on a rolling basis. Some students made be notified before others. Please be patient as we work to provide the best match for both the host institution and the student. Thank you.
The number of students selected as interns will depend on donor support and other factors. The Starr Center will work to place interns in one of their preferred positions, although we cannot guarantee that each intern will ultimately be matched with one of their top choices.
For more information about specific positions, questions about the application process, or any other questions about the Explore America Summer Internship program, please contact:
Chrissy Sinatra
Assistant Director for Communications & Outreach
The Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience
csinatra2FREEwashcoll