University Park, Pa. — Nine Penn State students are among those selected to work at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission this summer. The students will hone their curatorial skills at various small museums situated in and around Pennsylvania. These small museums offer visitors a great opportunity to delve into Pennsylvania’s unique past.

To win the summer job opportunity, each student was asked to write an essay to discuss his or her interests as they relate to the work of the commission. “The story of our oil heritage has been an integral part of my life,” says Joseph Jarzab, who will spend his summer at the Drake Oil Museum. “As an avid history buff, I have a personal interest in promoting the preservation of our state’s significant contributions to the rich heritage of our nation.”

            “The Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission gives me invaluable real-world experience and helps me to do what I love,” said Amanda Weimer, of Punxsutawney. Weimer, who will work at the Pennsylvania Military Museum, chose her site “because the museum exhibited interaction through armed conflict, the most extreme clash of interests and ideologies.”

            Matthew White says it simply:  “I love history. The people who inhabited the past and their behaviors, culture, and society have always fascinated me.”

            Penn State students selected to participate are:

·      Kim Samilo, a graduate student in American studies at Penn State Harrisburg, was selected to work in grants writing at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s headquarters in Harrisburg. Samilo is a resident of Middletown, Pennsylvania.

·      Joseph Jarzab, a resident of Oil City, Pennsylvania and junior in management information systems at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will work at the Drake Well Museum in Venango County.

·       Amanda Weimer, a sophomore in history at University Park will work at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg. Weimer is from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

·      Natalie Branco, a resident of King of Prussia and junior at University Park majoring in history and anthropology, will work at Graeme Parks, an historic site located in Horsham, Montgomery County.

·      Matthew White, a junior majoring in history at University Park and resident of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania will work at the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum in Scranton.

·      Kevin Borove, a sophomore majoring in history at Penn State Worthington Scranton, and resident of Kingsley, will work at Eckley Miner’s Village in Wetherly, Pennsylvania.

·      Jennifer Kasunick, a resident of Middletown and a graduate student at Penn State Harrisburg, will work in the Fine Arts Curatorial Program in the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

·      M. Nicole Bangert, of Red Lion and a graduate student in American studies at Penn State Harrisburg, will work in the curatorial program in various Western Field Sites.

·      Aaron Dawes of Titusville, Pennsylvania and a sophomore in engineering and plastics at Penn State Erie will work at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville.

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For more information, contact Vivienne Wildes, Director of the Undergraduate Fellowships Office, at (814) 863-8199 or Linda Shopes, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, (717) 772-3257.