Meet Our Summer 2022 Interns

This summer, we have five amazing interns working here at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine. Each intern is working very hard on a range of fun, creative, and meaningful projects. We want to recognize each of them for their incredible work, and provide the opportunity to learn a little bit more about them. My name is Cameron and in my role as the Communications and Marketing Intern this summer I was lucky enough to interview each intern about their experiences here.

To start, we have two outstanding Aquarium Interns working with us in the Mountains to the Sea exhibit: Marley and Kasey. The Aquarium Intern role, as described by both Marley and Kasey, involves working in the aquarium and behind-the-scenes cleaning tanks and feeding the animals. They also get the opportunity to interact with guests and answer questions about all of the species in the aquarium. 

Marley hanging out with Morty the musk turtle

Aquarium Intern Marley

Marley is studying animal behavior at the University of New England and is interested in Maine marine ecosystems. He hopes to take his career path towards wildlife biology, either with research, education, or both, and hopes to continue to work here in Maine. Outside of working with animals, Marley loves reading- especially graphic novels. 

In his role as an Aquarium Intern, Marley has learned all about how aquarium systems work: “for example, we are about to do a drain of the trout tank, which is a skill that will be very valuable for me to know how to do in the future” he says, as he hopes to potentially continue to work with Maine species in aquarium settings. He adds “I love working with the animals one-on-one, especially Morty the turtle. They all have great personalities and their own wants and needs.” Besides becoming close with Morty, Marley has loved learning about the animals in the aquarium, as they are all native to Maine. He also enjoys interacting with visitors: “I’ll ask them questions at the touch tank, such as ‘why is this starfish bumpy?’, and they’ll use their skills of deduction.” Marley thinks that it is really important to be talking to youth and getting them interested in and excited about nature, especially about those species who might normally be overlooked. 

Aquarium Intern Kasey

Kasey is studying marine biology, also at the University of New England. She is unsure of what she wants to do for a career, but is leaning towards working in an aquarium. When not focusing on marine life, Kasey enjoys skiing, listening to music, and going to the gym and beach. 

Kasey testing tank water.

She wanted to apply for this internship because she liked that it centered around an aquarium environment. Since accepting the position, Kasey has learned all about life support systems and what animals need in order to thrive. She has loved working at the Museum & Theatre and “seeing all of the kids that come in and have such a great time exploring the hands-on exhibits.” While working with the aquarium, her favorite part has been “caring for the animals and learning about all that goes into caring for them, and then being able to apply that.”

For future Aquarium Interns, both Marley and Kasey had similar advice: “listen and ask questions!” Marley says. “Never be afraid to ask for clarification on directions,” Kasey adds. Both have enjoyed their time at the Museum & Theatre  immensely. When asked about their overall experience, Marley says that “Everyone is so nice! This is for sure the best job I have ever had.” Kasey added “this experience has been such an eye opener for what I want to do in the future. It’s also been a great confidence builder for public speaking and interacting with others.” Further, she adds how amazing it has been to see how happy people are when she shares fun facts with them in the aquarium. 

Next, we have two Education Interns, Amber and Kelsey. Amber explains that her role involved shadowing education programming, planning additional programming, and co-counseling summer camps. Kelsey describes interacting with people on the floors of the museum, and doing anything from “pretending to be a triceratops while running our program about dinosaur fossils, to helping kids build boats through material exploration in the makerspace.” She says that the versatility of being an Education Intern has allowed her to be “not only a teacher, but a playmate, a hand in the aquarium, a creator, a problem solver, an observer, an evaluator, and most importantly, a learner.”

Education Intern Amber

Amber playing with summer campers

Amber is currently studying early childhood education at Southern Maine Community College. It was her advisor at SMCC who emailed her about this internship, and encouraged her to apply. She still has no idea what she wants to do in the future. In fact, before choosing to study education, she originally thought she wanted to go into auto mechanics. She has enjoyed her choice to stick with education, and her love for this position has confirmed that. In her free time, Amber enjoys sewing, painting and walking her dog which she lovingly refers to as “the super mutt”.

She has really enjoyed being a co-counselor at our summer camps while working as an Education Intern here: “I have never been involved in or gone to camp, so everything is new.” She says that she is “having a blast in general” and loves getting to know the kids as they return every day. Recently, she was “amazed by how good everyone was at singing at the karaoke party we had!”. Amber has learned a lot about how to meet different kids where they are at, as each kid may need something different at any moment. 

Education Intern Kelsey

Kelsey is about to enter her fourth year of school at San Diego State University where she studies Psychology. “If I’m going to be 100% transparent, I honestly don’t know what I want to do with my future. What I do know is that this internship has confirmed my love for working with kids and education is definitely something I’m interested in pursuing” she says. When it comes to what she enjoys outside of studies and work, she likes to be outdoors at the beach, lake, or the mountains. She also loves surfing, hiking, camping, exploring, reading, and lifting at the gym.

Kelsey helping in the Makerspace

Kelsey applied to be an Education Intern because of her passion for working with kids. While growing up, she looked up to her mom who worked as a preschool teacher. From her mom, Kelsey  learned the importance of making learning both inclusive and fun.“She incorporated her ways of teaching into my upbringing, making every day feel like summer camp. This, combined with my admiration for her ability to work with any kid of any ability level, has inspired me to pursue a career in education” she says about her mom. This position has taught Kelsey the importance of being able to look at something from any angle. There are thousands of things happening behind the scenes in a museum to make it safe and functioning, and it’s important to find out what kids respond to best. She says that she learned the most from her mentor, Education Porgram Manager Brittany Liscord, and that “it is possible for kids to teach you so much, even when you are taking on the teacher role.” When it comes to working at the museum, her favorite part has been all of the staff she has worked with and the environment that they created: “from the second I began working at the museum I was welcomed with open arms by a group of extremely friendly, kind hearted, and compassionate people.” Further, her favorite memory as an Education Intern so far has been taking part in the Play Your Way sessions because she felt like it was always a great time to make connections with and bond with visitors. These sessions are a playtime for anyone who would benefit from a quieter, low-key play session and is perfect for families affected by Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or other challenges. 

When reflecting on the Education Intern position, Kelsey recommends that future interns should not be afraid to contribute. “I think the thing I was most hesitant about through the majority of my internship was sharing my opinions and ideas. My coworkers have definitely helped push me out of my comfort zone by asking me to take the lead on certain projects, requiring me to share my ideas,” she explains. Kelsey even mentioned that this position is “one of the best jobs/internships I have ever had!”

Communications and Marketing Intern Cameron

I have spent this summer working as the Communications and Marketing Intern. My role has involved a range of tasks, similar to the other interns. I have been learning all about the field of communications, including the huge variety of different programs and tools that can be used to accomplish different tasks. I have been writing media posts, taking photos of programming, writing content for the member emailer, designing flyers, and lots more. Each day is a different opportunity for something new. 

I am currently studying women, gender, and sexuality studies and globalization studies at Gettysburg College. I am not totally sure what I want to do with my future, but I would like in some way to work with or for a non-profit surrounding advocating for womens’ rights. I have thought a lot about non-profit management, investigative journalism, and now, communications, all as potential paths for this. In my free time, I love reading, writing, painting, taking pictures of the sunset, and walking my family’s two dogs on the beach.

Cameron taking pictures

I applied for this internship because I grew up going to the Children’s Museum & Theatre and thought that it would both be a really fun place to work as well as a unique opportunity to experience a field in the world of nonprofits that I had not yet seen. This position has taught me so much about the work that goes into the behind-the-scenes of what makes an organization successful. I have also learned about what “communications and marketing” itself entails- it is so much more than I ever would have thought. I have loved working here because our mission statement doesn’t only apply to visitors, but also to staff. You can read the complete mission statement at https://www.kitetails.org/mission. The working environment here is so supportive, encouraging, creative, and simply playful. What I have loved the most about my position in particular is getting to see so many working parts of the museum- observing educational programming, theatre shows, and even aquarium cleanings. I have also greatly appreciated how inclusive this position has been as I have had the opportunity to sit in on countless meetings and share my ideas. 

For future interns applying for this position, I would recommend being open to everything. I don’t study communications in school, so I thought I had almost no chance of being offered the position. Applying has been one of the most rewarding parts of my summer- take the chance! Similar to what the other interns mentioned, I would say that one of the best ways of succeeding while working as an intern is asking questions honestly- everyone is here to help. I am so grateful for the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, both for when I was a four-year-old who had just moved to the state of Maine, all the way to now, as an adult trying to learn skills and explore options for my future. 

Our internships are for anyone seeking to build career specific skills. They are paid and structured to enable students to earn college-level academic credit. We welcome anyone looking for hands-on learning opportunities; unless there is a requirement on the specific internship posting, you do not have to be a student to apply. If you are interested in working as an intern here, you can see what positions are available under our “Work With Us” page if you scroll down to “Paid Internship Opportunities”. Applications for Fall 2022 interns close July 31.