Internship Spotlight: Gwendolyn Teeling ’25
San Francisco Historical Society
Thanks to a leadership role with the student-run newspaper The Dickinsonian, Gwendolyn Teeling '25 (English, classical studies) is a seasoned editor. She puts that experience to work as a summer intern at the San Francisco Historical Society, proofing social media posts and even leading a style refresh for the society's Instagram account.
Majors:
English and classical studies.
How I found this internship:
When searching around for museum internships, I decided to cold email the San Francisco Historical Society (SFHS) to ask if they had any internships for this summer. They responded, we had an interview and I got the position.
What it's like, day to day:
A majority of my job is being a social media manager for the SFHS Instagram and Facebook pages. This includes proofreading post captions researched and written by other interns, creating designs on Canva that fit the updated design I gave the site and posting the content on schedule. While a majority of my day is devoted to social media–related tasks, I also do some editorial work for SFHS publications, the newsletter Panorama and the upcoming issue of the research journal The Argonaut. I have a lot of background in proofing work, and it's really cool to work firsthand on an academic publication. I also help the other interns organize unsolicited donations or objects given to SFHS for preservation. We catalogue, categorize and put away these donations.
How it's helpful:
I've been put into a managerial position with regard to social media, which means that I direct and work with the other interns to create content for Instagram. Our posts promote our events, show off objects in our collection and give small snapshots of San Francisco history. What I do at SFHS—proofing for style, content and coherency—is similar to my position as managing editor of The Dickinsonian. Hopefully, I can apply skills I learned at SFHS to The Dickinsonian, to my upcoming thesis and to a possible career after Dickinson.
Previous internship experiences:
Last summer I was an internship & fellowship programs assistant at the Library of Congress, which I absolutely loved, since it exposed me to so many departments and careers I didn't know existed. The institution is so multifaceted and useful, and I would love to intern or work there in the future. I have also held part-time remote internships. Last winter, I was a Latin commentaries assistant for Dickinson's classics department, and during the past year or so, I was an educational curriculum editor for the Institute for Youth in Policy.
Advice for students considering an internship:
An internship is a wonderful way to practice your skills and speak with professionals about their experiences. I absolutely recommend doing as many informational interviews as you can, ideally across multiple departments. It's a great way to learn about different careers, responsibilities and possibilities for you to pursue.
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Published August 13, 2024