Intern and Fellow Highlight: Jessica Yim

Jessica on an aerial lift in Lafayette Square in Washington D.C.

Jessica Yim

What do NPS internships and fellowships look like?

Everyone has a personal connection to cultural resources. Cultural resources help us define what makes us human through understanding the evidence we leave behind and continue to create today. This can include anything from archives, archaeological sites, museum collections, structures and cultural landscapes, and resources with significance to a group of people traditionally associated with them.

To learn more about cultural resources, visit the Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate page.

So... What exactly does a cultural resource internship look like?

Interns and fellows work with multiple offices, programs, and parks through partner organizations such as the American Conservation Experience (ACE) and National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE). They work on various projects that range from learning about tribal consultation and policy to telling the stories of women in World War II and even to connecting local communities with public history.

Their work adds value to the National Park Service (NPS) and supports our mission to preserve for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.

Jessica Yim is an Architectural Conservation Intern with NCPE at the National Mall and Memorial Parks (NAMA) in Washington, D.C. Read about Yim’s work on the many monuments around D.C. to better understand what young adult opportunities can look like in NPS!

Jessica hot waxing bronze statue of Brigadier General Thaddeus Kościuszko

Jessica Yim

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started in the field, your background, hobbies, etc…

I’m a Chinese American student from Sacramento, CA, who is interested in art, chemistry, and art history! I’m going into my final year of undergrad at Scripps College in Claremont, CA, double majoring in Studio Art and Art Conservation & Heritage Science. My hobbies include art (of course!), but I also play taiko (a traditional Japanese drum) and am president of my school’s taiko club.

Originally, I was only majoring in Studio Art, but, after learning more about chemistry and art conservation, I grew to really love the field’s interdisciplinarity, its contributions to history and society, and its community. Last summer, I did a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship for art conservation in L.A. where I worked on outdoor sculptures with a private conservator, and I absolutely loved it. I worked with flamethrowers atop the scaffolding of eight-foot-tall sculptures in the burning L.A. sun. Even though it was physically exhausting, I realized just how much of an impact preserving a public art piece could have on the local community.

I learned that my future career shouldn’t just be about what it can do for me, but rather what it can do for society – working on public projects in visible spaces is a way that I can help preserve a part of cultural heritage and contribute to the community. This kind of work and experience is what motivated me to look for more conservation internships and continue the path of preserving cultural heritage.

Jessica reinstalling glass panels at Washington D.C.'s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Jessica Yim

Walk us through your average workday. What are your main tasks? What goals are you working toward and how do your tasks advance them?

As an architectural conservation intern, my main job is to help preserve the monuments and memorials here at the National Mall in D.C. I work with various people all over the mall, including the NAMA preservation crew and the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) to clean graffiti, wax bronze statues, and help with masonry work.

My job can range from riding an aerial lift to wax the sculptures in front of the White House, to repointing the steps at the Lincoln Memorial, to resetting bricks to prevent a tripping hazard. I have also helped curators in organizing the Vietnam War Memorial collection, caring for Ford’s Theater, and cataloging items at Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument.

Our goal is to keep all these monuments and memorials clean and stable so that both the structures themselves as well as the people/events that they are honoring can be appreciated and respected by both the local community and by the tourists who come to view them.

Jessica resetting bricks in front of the Willard Hotel.

Jessica Yim

If you met a younger version of yourself, what would you tell them about your current career trajectory?

Never close any doors. I have managed to get onto this path by following where the opportunities lead me, even if I am unsure about the path itself. If there is an opportunity that seems interesting and available, try to take it.

Some people may think that you are being indecisive or leading yourself astray, but I think that following your interests is a genuine way to let you discover new opportunities and fuel your passions, even those that have not yet been discovered.

My younger self would be surprised to see how I’ve veered from dog grooming to animation to art conservation, and I’m sure I will continue down a much more winding path in the future. I believe that in the end, it's the combination of all these experiences that has helped me get to where I am today. I would tell myself that my various experiences will be interesting and useful for both me and others.

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For more information on CRPS internship programs, contact Paloma Bolasny at e-mail us.To learn more about youth and young adult programs and opportunities in the National Park Service, visit our Youth Programs page.