FFSS Internship (Fall) Week 3

 Hello! Here is this week’s update on my internship with the Florida France Soldier Stories project:


This week was busy! Since my last post, I had a meeting with Dr. Lyons to discuss my role in the project which led to me picking a biography to begin editing for the semester. However, the beginning of the editing process was slightly delayed this week because of our involvement in Dr. Lyons' HIS3600 course. In HIS3600, the students have a project for the next few weeks where they are creating a primary source packet, which is similar to the beginning of the biography drafting process, although they will not be writing a biography after collecting the sources. This packet is in connection to a larger project in collaboration with the Colmar Pocket Museum in Turckheim, France.

To prepare the students for the work they will be conducting over the coming weeks, Dr. Lyons, a graduate student, and I put a presentation together to demonstrate what type of work they will be doing. On Wednesday of this week, we met over zoom to work on the presentation, and I was put in charge of the "Early Life" section which introduced the types of sources they will be expected to find. Today (Thursday), we presented the information in class and the students began their preliminary searches for each section of the primary source packet, which includes early life, military service, and legacy or post service life. Dr. Lyons pre-assigned each student a soldier so they could begin their research right after the presentation.

Being able to help present in Dr. Lyons' class was a wonderful first experience on the "other side" of a classroom. I am very passionate about education, and this was a great opportunity for me to experience the type of work and preparation that goes into lecturing/teaching a group of students. As an undergraduate, these opportunities can seem few and far between, so I am very grateful for Dr. Lyons' trust in my ability to help with this project outside of my "normal" intern duties. 

After today's presentation, I helped a student begin his process of finding the primary sources he needs for the assignment. This was a rewarding process because he found many items that will go into the final packet. 

In addition to today's class presentation, the graduate students and I will be joining HIS3600 again on September 16 and 18. On September 16, we will be helping the students during their workshopping session, and we will watch the students' presentations of their final packets
on September 18. I am looking forward to seeing all of the progress they have made from this point forward! 

Helping Dr. Lyons with this project reminds me of my time drafting the biography of Stafford Rimes in HIS4150 in the fall 2024 semester. All research is a rewarding process, but this type of research is especially incredible. As you watch the stories of these soldier's lives unfold with every new piece of information you find, you are reminded how every narrative is unique and worth searching for. 

Dr. Lyons took a picture of me presenting, which I have attached to this blog post (for privacy reasons, I have scribbled over the students' faces).

See you next week!

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