Jessica Lancia (left) and volunteer Chris Suiter in the park visitor center.

Intern Jessica Lancia

I must say, when I first arrived at Harpers Ferry, I thought I had stepped into a dream. The first thing you are struck with is the timeless beauty and sense of place of Harpers Ferry. The Shenandoah and Potomac rivers converge in this little town and even before I started my internship, I had a feeling I was going to like it. I was right.

The three months spent at Harpers Ferry flew by. The greatest part was meeting a multitude of people, from my inspiring, eccentric, and brilliant coworkers to the scores of visitors that came on a daily basis to experience and understand their past.

I was given the opportunity to create my own program to give to visitors twice a week, which was both challenging and rewarding. My regular duties were very similar to those of regular park rangers, and so I felt like I was really contributing to the place and getting a feel for the job. In addition, I traveled to Baltimore and conducted original research on a very important part of history, the Niagara Movement, and saturated myself with knowledge about Harpers Ferry.

To top all of this off, I got to live in the gorgeous town of Harpers Ferry for free, and received out of an already wonderful experience a resume-building credential that I will think of fondly for the rest of my life.

Visitor Services intern Autumn Cook.

Intern Autumn Cook

During my summer as an intern with Visitor Services, I found myself immersed in an enlightening experience. I lived in a wonderful historic house with other interns who were also there to enhance their knowledge and life experience. While learning about the national park service and the skills needed to effectively interpret a historic site such as Harpers Ferry, I gained a further appreciation for both American and West Virginia history.

Developing my own interpretive program and transcribing historical documents were the highlights of my summer, and special events weekends were also exciting and fun. My summer internship at Harpers Ferry opened the door for future internships and ties to the local community. I gained both friends and mentors in the park staff and volunteers. I will never forget my experience at Harpers Ferry NHP!

My name is Emily Santamaria. I am twenty-three and a junior at Shepherd University located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. This past summer, I had the opportunity to participate in an internship at Harpers Ferry National Park. My internship lasted from May to August. It was a great experience and was definitely worth the time and effort. It was a lot of fun and very intriguing. The employees were great. Everyone was very kind and helpful. Many of the rangers worked one on one with me to help with a project I was completing. My experience was made that much better because of the support and genuine concern that my co-employees showed me. My time spent there was well worth it. I had the chance to do something that I love and meet people that can really help me develop my future career path. I would encourage any with the interest to go for it. I wish to send my thanks and thoughts to all those park employees who had kind words and a helping hand for me every day. It really made the difference in my experience. I hope to see everyone again soon. Thank you!