Amy Anderson, a senior at USF St. Petersburg accepted a prestigious internship with the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
Amy Anderson’s passion for history began when she was young and has led her to an experience she thought would be nothing more than a dream.
But after receiving a call from the National Museum of American History offering her an internship at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C, her dream became very real.
“It was like applying to college — apply to Yale, apply to the the big dogs even if you might not get in,” Anderson said. “Even though you don’t expect to, there’s always that chance.”
Anderson, a USF St. Petersburg senior, will be working in the archives of the NMAH, an area she has experience in from working in the St. Petersburg Museum of History archives. It was there that she realized her love for the hands-on approach to studying history.
“I fell in love with holding objects and the tangible aspects of history,” she said.
Anderson will be working with Madelyn Shaw, who specializes in the history of American textiles and dress, according to the NMAH website.
The pair will work on an “undocumented and un-researched” project, which will mark one of Anderson’s first jobs at the museum. The project involves textile samples, photos of children working in textile mills in 1915 during the rise of child labor laws, and evidence possibly linking the South Carolina textile trade to Ethiopia.
Though it’s a bit of a heavy topic, Anderson is ready for the challenge.
“I’m a proud American and so are many others, but we don’t like to talk about how we got to that (and) what happened to get to where we are today,” she said.
Anderson’s appreciation for history has also shown her how much of it is misrepresented.
“In high school, you get lots of whitewashed history,” she said. “At (the) college level, you get the truth of how it started, even though it can be seen in a negative light.”
Anderson believes people can learn far more from hands-on history than from most textbooks, but that only strengthens her resolve.
The foundation of her interest came from her parents, who planned family vacations in places like Gettysburg, PA, one of her favorite places.
“It’s a giant field you’re looking at, off of this higher point the Union took, and just picture a field full of men fighting and charging, but it’s so quiet and still,” Anderson said. “Knowing how much happened there and how many men died, it’s absolutely breathtaking.”
In high school, Anderson had a few teachers who weren’t keen on history textbooks either, and professors at USFSP helped foster her passion for the subject even further.
“I had some excellent history teachers in high school who started to show the nitty-gritty instead of just the whitewashed versions,” she said. “I’ve had some really fantastic professors at USFSP. They have a wonderful American history program.”
Anderson believes the small classes help facilitate a deeper connection with the professors and the history they teach. Her teachers always gave plenty of attention to detail when answering questions and having in-class discussions.
Looking toward the future, Anderson would like to come back to work in Florida, but said reality may not work out that way due to her specialization.
When asked about the possibility of a full time position with NMAH, she said, “If the Smithsonian is willing to hire me on and pay me, I’m 100 percent okay and willing. I’m happy to do it for free for now though.”
