America’s #1 Virtual History Museum Internship Program
Designed for high school students, though middle school and elementary students may also apply
Are you a high school student interested in American history and eager to make a real-world impact while boosting your college application? If so, consider serving as a Virtual History Museum Program intern.
The Program:
America’s Virtual History Museum Program invites grade 9–12 public and private high school students to write a 15–20 page research paper under the mentorship of the Virtual History Museum Internship Program Director, with the paper to respond to a specific Museum Director’s request for staff to create an exhibit.
Each student-produced research paper will be viewed as an initial step in developing the director’s proposed exhibit.
Papers can be written individually or in groups of up to five and, upon completion, will be submitted to the museum director. The director will then be encouraged to meet with the students to discuss their research findings and ask follow-up questions.
The student’s research paper will also be published on the Virtual History Museum Internship Program’s website (currently under construction) and, if written individually, submitted to the Concord Review for potential publication.
Example Intern Research Paper #1:
Given that the Nevada City (Montana) Living History Museum has acquired a dilapidated Chinese laundry and expressed interest in restoring it to reflect historical accuracy, interns might be called on to produce a paper detailing what life was like for a Nevada City Chinese laundry worker during the Alder Gulch gold rush of the 1860s and what the laundry looked like on the inside.
Example Intern Research Paper #2:
Given that the Catalina Island Museum for Art and History has expressed interest in creating an exhibit revealing the story of the Chinese who lived on the island since the time of the California Gold Rush, interns might be called on to produce a paper that tells the story of Mr. Ning’s Chinese Garden and any other small Catalina Island post-World War II Chinese-owned businesses.
Example Intern Research Paper #3:
Given that the Mono Basin Historical Society and Museum has expressed interest in creating an exhibit detailing the story of the Chinese who worked in the Mono Logging Mills in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, interns might be called on to produce a paper that tells the story of the Chinese who worked in the lumber and logging industry in the Sierras during the time.
Mentorship and Support:
To produce the paper, interns will work under the mentorship of Internship Program Director Peter C. Paccone, a recently retired and nationally acclaimed San Marino High School social studies teacher.
Upon completion, Mr. Paccone will provide interns with both a letter of recommendation (which can be used for college applications) and a California State Seal of Civic Engagement.
Mr. Paccone will also work to provide interns with a chance to present their research findings directly to the museum curator, secure press coverage to showcase that presentation, and help interns gain a position on the museum’s student advisory committee (assuming they have one).
Time Commitment:
Generally, these research papers will take around 20–25 hours to produce, with interns expected to meet with Mr. Paccone via Zoom for one hour per week. The exact time required may vary depending on the complexity of the research question and the number of students involved in the project. Some papers may take longer, while others might require less time.
Why Participate?
- Gain hands-on experience in historical research.
- Impress college and university admission officers, making you more competitive.
- Make a meaningful contribution to preserving important historical narratives.
For More Information:
For more information, including the Program Fees, contact Program Director Peter C. Paccone at ppaccone@smusd.us.
Sidenote #1:
For students applying for admission to this country’s more prestigious colleges and universities, here’s something to think about: The passage rate for the 2023–2024 APUSH exam increased significantly, from 48% to 72%. This suggests that if you’re applying to a prestigious school and you earned a score of 3 or better on the 2023–2024 APUSH exam, it probably won’t carry the same weight as it did in the past. To distinguish yourself, serving as a Virtual History Museum intern and producing a 15–20 page research paper could be the way to set yourself apart.
Sidenote #2:
For students who prefer not to write a 15–20 research paper but instead want to propose an exhibit, the program is also for you — even if you are only an elementary school student.
Click here to read about two elementary school students who, just before Christmas 2022, traveled to the Catalina Island Museum of Art and History to share their vision for a new exhibit with the museum's director, with this exhibit to reveal the impact of the Spanish Mission System on the Catalina Island Native Americans.
Click here to read about an Orange County elementary school student who, during the summer of 2023, traveled to the Chinese American Museum in downtown Los Angeles to share with the director her proposal for an exhibit titled “The History of the Chinese in Orange County from the Mid-1870s to the Present.”
Sidenote #3
The abovementioned internship opportunities are billed as part of America’s #1 Virtual History Museum Internship Program. It is only called America’s #1 because no other virtual history museum internship program appears to exist.
Sidenote #4
While this post highlights examples related to Chinese American history, it is not meant to suggest that only those interested in this area should apply as interns. The program welcomes students with diverse historical interests and backgrounds to participate.
The repeated mention of Chinese in American history is simply because the museum directors the Program has heard from have expressed interest in these topics. If you have a different historical focus, such as African American, Italian American history, or any other area, the program will work to match you with a museum aligned with your interests.
