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By Brendan O'Hallarn

As a history buff, Old Dominion 91����Ƶ junior Roland Davis didn’t realize how much history exists right on campus. This past summer, he lived it, working as an intern with ODU’s Special Collections and 91����Ƶ Archives.

“My favorite experience was working with different patrons who used ODU’s archives,” said Davis, a double major in History and English from Richmond, who is focused on technical writing in his studies. “I loved conversing about the projects, hearing the passion our patrons had for their work.”

As a college student with bills to pay, Davis also appreciated getting paid more than $2,000 for his summer’s work, as part of the inaugural class of scholars in the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy. Receiving financial support, “made me more confident in my work, and made me want to work even harder,” he said. “It showed me there is opportunity in a job market known for its lack of funds and positions.”

Davis was one of 10 students who comprised the inaugural “class” of scholars, working in internships in humanities-related fields. Some of the nonprofit clients who hosted interns included Hope House Foundation, Connect and Serve and the ODU Applied Linguistics program.

Old Dominion was one of four universities nationwide awarded a $5 million grant in early 2024 by the Mellon Foundation. One of the most important aspects of the grant is to provide paid opportunities for humanities students to receive work-based learning experiences in non-profits and government agencies, where paid work  can be scarce.

“It showed me there is opportunity in a job market known for its lack of funds and positions," said Roland Davis, a double major in History and English at ODU.

The academy, part of the Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office, will facilitate and fund a minimum of 750 paid internships over the next five years. Students in 24 different majors in the College of Arts and Letters, including literature, cinema production, philosophy, and language education within the world cultural studies B.A. program, are eligible. The Mellon Foundation grant will help address barriers that students in these academic disciplines face.

Elizabeth Zanoni, associate professor of history and director of the Monarch Humanities Internship Studio, said the Mellon Foundation grant can be pivotal in removing a key barrier for students seeking experience in humanities fields.

“The academy, through the studio, pays students stipends to do internships at nonprofits and government agencies,” Zanoni said, “Thereby giving all students, regardless of their major or background, access to vital early career experiences.”

Concurrent to the first cohort of paid student interns, a group of Old Dominion faculty in the humanities and related fields participated in a summer workshop series about how to better incorporate work-based learning in their classes.

“Year one of (the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy) summer faculty development has not only met but exceeded expectations, setting the stage for an even more impactful year ahead,” said Alison Lietzenmayer, master lecturer of communication and director of faculty development for the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy.

For its organizers and the students participating, a key benefit of the Humanities Internship Studio is the opportunity to pursue work motivated by passion.

Cozi Jones, a lifespan and digital communication major from Chesapeake, received a Mellon stipend to serve as a behavioral support specialist intern at Hope House Foundation. She developed and implemented behavioral support trainings, coordinated these efforts with leaders across the agency and in the process gained a far deeper understanding of behaviors that impact others’ lives.

“My future career will hopefully be in family counseling, but I have always had a passion for advocating against domestic abuse, and this internship added to this passion,” Jones said.

The Monarch Humanities Internship Academy will provide many similar experiences for ODU students in the next five years.

For more information, see the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy website.