Learning the Humanities at MHC
By Kara Lybarger, MHC Intern
From helping with Chautauqua programming to wearing a frog mascot suit at the Read First! Orientation, my experience interning for the Missouri Humanities Council has been a positive one. The people surrounding me in the office made the days at work interesting and pleasant. I cannot thank them all enough for being so welcoming and allowing me such a great opportunity to learn.
Having attended programs such as Read First! Orientation, Chautauqua, and a charette, I witnessed and was truly inspired by an ever present passion for enlivening education in our Missouri communities and simply bettering humanity. I love what the Humanities Council is about, and I intend to channel my passion for its mission in some of the same ways as I build a career.
Father of Taoism, Lao Tzu, once said, “Knowing ignorance is strength. Ignoring knowledge is sickness.” There is still a never-ending amount of knowledge and wisdom that I have yet to gain from my experience working in this field, but from this brief time with the Missouri Humanities Council I will take a few specific lessons. Observing a charette for the Sutter-Meyer Farmhouse, I learned the absolute importance of keeping child- and family-oriented programming focal in order to “build future audiences” in the humanities. As an intern, I found myself doing quite a bit of observing and much less talking, and it was good—a humbling lesson in the value of shutting up and becoming a sponge. Watching the interaction of participants and their sharing of ideas at events such as the charette, a board meeting, and the Read First! Orientation, I took many notes.
When I was not out observing and taking notes, I was spending time in the office exploring and learning about the great technological resources we have and how to utilize them to communicate who we are and what we are about to everyone more effectively. From this I learned that technology is your friend… most of the time. Patience and an open mind proved crucial in my technological pursuits!
Most important, I have learned, or perhaps, been reminded, to celebrate today and everyday the lives that are a dear part of mine. Some of my coworkers endured the loss of close family members when I was working at the council, and I was glad to be there in any way I could for support. I would like to celebrate Michael, Patricia, Clarice, Julie, Cheryl and Megan now, for their continued support and faith in me for the past six months.
I have enjoyed my time working with wonderful people and becoming a more educated individual. That's me on the right in an unexpected wardrobe change, with my colleague, Megan.
I look forward to expanding upon this experience in my future endeavors as a graduate student and a professional!
