History major researches and develops online exhibit for Baseball Heritage Museum during APEX Fellowship

When Zach Perrier ’25 was searching for internship opportunities this summer, he networked with his supervisor at his on-campus job in Digital Collections at The College of Wooster. They were able to match him with the Baseball Heritage Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, where the history major would hone his skills as a digital curator, creating an online exhibit for the Google Arts and Culture website using the museum’s collections. This APEX Fellowship involved working directly with the museum director, Ricardo Rodriguez, and gave Perrier the opportunity to make connections in an industry he hopes to learn more about in graduate school. He enjoyed expanding his skills in research, as well as developing new abilities in storytelling.

“During my APEX Fellowship, I was able to make worthwhile connections that enriched my understanding of my future beyond what I had already been doing on campus. I now have greater clarity of what it will take to be working in museums and archives in the future.”

—Zach Perrier ’25 

How did you learn about the internship opportunity for your APEX Fellowship?

“I learned about my internship opportunity from my supervisor in Digital Collections, Katie Farr. They did a search of museums in the Cleveland area and the Director of the Baseball Heritage Museum, Ricardo Rodriguez, reached out and I was able to secure an on-site, summer internship.”

What interests you most about the work you did?

“To me, discovering new sources and preserving history were the most interesting aspects of my time at the museum. I also enjoyed the individual and creative parts of the internship, where I used the research and artifacts to create an exhibit with a compelling story to draw in an audience.”

Who was your mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position?

“During my internship, Ricardo Rodriguez, the museum director, was my mentor. He helped me succeed by pointing me in the right direction while conducting research and being assertive towards others when maintaining a deadline.”

What are some skills you’ve learned that you see yourself carrying forward in your career?

“During the internship, I learned about additional ways to find information and sources, as well as storytelling and writing for a more general audience.”

How has the internship helped you to see what’s next for you?

“I now have greater clarity of what it will take to be working in museums and archives in the future, with an emphasis on getting a master’s degree in library and information science. I was able to make worthwhile connections that enriched my understanding of my future beyond what I had already been doing on campus.”

Posted in Experiential Learning on August 16, 2023.