Sophie Gala

My most substantial research experience at Penn has been being a Summer Research Fellow in the History Department, through which I examined and drew information from primary sources related to Philadelphia's transition between energy sources at the turn of the 20th century. The fellowship has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of what the process of history research is like, which I would be glad to discuss with other undergrad students. In addition, I was a volunteer in the Research Services department at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for three years, where I completed independent organizational and resource-building projects that are used by researchers visiting HSP's collections. I am also very interested in original research projects culminating in user-facing resources, whether in the history or education fields.

The area that I think I could provide the most help with is building connections with institutions and organizations to discover and pitch user-oriented research projects in the humanities. I am also happy to discuss what research in history (and humanities fields) looks like for undergraduates, or whatever is helpful in the process of beginning and continuing with research at Penn. 

• Summer Research Fellow in the History Department (summer 2025)
• Research Services volunteer, Historical Society of Pennsylvania (June 2022-July 2025)
• Education Policy intern, Black Lives Matter at School (summer 2024)