Alan Zhang ('25), an English major, caught a glimpse of what a career in publishing could look like as an intern with Scribe Video Center and this experience was supported by the Summer Humanities Internship Program.
My Project Assistant internship at Scribe Video Center entailed various responsibilities throughout the summer: sorting through archives, researching data online, and interviewing people on camera. As someone who is interested in filming his own documentary, I was immediately drawn to Scribe’s hands-on approach to filmmaking and community involvement. Previous to Scribe, I had not known much about the Philadelphia community despite having helped teach at a local high school. The internship was important to me in learning about the environment that Penn occupies. It also gave me an opportunity to speak with the leaders in the art community who grew up in Philadelphia, and to learn about what changes have happened in the community around Penn since the 1960s.
Through the various interviews I conducted, I met many accomplished artists, directors, dancers, and actors in Philadelphia. In these conversations, I got to know a lot more about Philadelphia, how the arts community operates, and what growing up in this community was like in the 1960s and 70s. My journalist mentor, Joseph Blake, and I had lots of great conversations reflecting on a variety of topics from the increasing generational gaps to the housing difficulties in the West Philadelphia region. I learned a lot about the filmmaking world from my coworkers, and received plenty of advice on how to navigate the professional world as well, which I will take along with me to different places that I go.
Scribe is a non-profit that operates with fewer than 20 people. This small organizational size meant that I was given the freedom to structure my work hours around what needed to be done and the tasks that needed to be completed. I needed to be proactive about what I wanted to learn, and seek out mentorship in my co-workers, learning about what each person did in the office and how I could assist them in their roles. Since this internship, I’ve become more confident in structuring my work schedule and taking more initiative to seek advice or learn from my peers.
Interested in reading more first-hand accounts about undergraduate research? Check out the other experiences featured on our Student News Page and Social Media!
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