08/13/2026
Hi everybody... you may notice this post is egregiously late, but that's because I'm sad. So sad that I didn't even introduce intern takeover using capitals and exclamation marks. I have put off this post for almost 2 weeks now, but I suppose it's time...
Welcome back to intern takeover: The End. I will have more commentary after I get passed all of the photos I have here.
Photo 1: A tragic version of my intern takeover cover... don't look too hard at him, he's having a rough week.
Photo 2: possibly my favorite video I have taken all summer, even though it shows our trees that fell while Hannah and I were at the office. Hannah's reaction to this will live rent free in my brain forever.
Photo 3: A photo Hannah took of our downed trees that looks like a strange mix of haunting and beautiful.
Photo 4: A photo I took of a tree falling behind a parks and rec truck. Pretty ironic if you ask me, if it had landed in the bed of the truck, it would have saved the workers from more manual labor. So close, but so far away.
Photo 5: In preparation for the Wizarding World of Jonesborough, Katie and I went to Walmart together to pick up some items we needed for the crafts. While doing this, she and I just happened to stumble into the pet section and see this adorable piece of pet clothing.
Photo 6: I also attended the history book club that we host, and I did not read the book. I just go for fun and to hear about books I may want to read. (I am an avid reader, after all. I've read 49 books so far this year) Since I am virtually incapable of sitting still, I worked on cutting strips for the bookmark making station during the Wizarding World of Jonesborough.
Photo 7: It wasn't until my very last week that I played into the intern stereotype of getting my boss coffee. Apparently, I am a very good barista when it comes to mixing coffee syrups so I guess I know what to do if this whole museum thing doesn't work out.
Photo 8: Hannah showing her full attention during our meeting with the Jonesborough Library as we discussed activity ideas.
Photo 9: Here are some finished example bookmarks I created. I also ended up managing this station and it was a whole lot of fun!
Photo 10: This was my amazing DIY costume I made for the Wizarding World of Jonesborough. I was a mandrake, and it was so fun seeing other people's reactions. I loved when I was running down the street to get more copies of acceptance letters and I would hear "oh my gosh it's a MANDRAKE" 10/10 experience.
Photo 11: Prior to the chaos of opening, this was what the Chester looked like. It looked a lot different when 8pm rolled around.
Photo 12: This was our final result of the house voting... Gryffindor wins... yay... 😐*insert dramatic sigh here* I guess it's fine... I mean Slytherin (my house) didn't even make second place, Ravenclaw got that... and Hufflepuff got suspiciously close votes to Slytherin 🧐... It's rigged, I'm going to tell my father about this!
Photo 13: This was Katie helping me transport some of the items we needed to the Chester, and she did it very fashionably.
Photo 14: This is a video of me wrapping our artifacts that were displayed in the Muggle Museum of Magic case. This wrapping is not the best because I did it with one hand, but the objects made it safely.
Photo 15: This was the finished product of my design of the Muggle Museum of Magic case! I had a whole lot of fun writing the text panels and picking objects as well as arranging them in the case.
Photo 16: Two objects part of the Muggle Museum of Magic that I decided looked better on mannequins than in the case.
Photo 17: This is a photo of Katie pulling me out of soil since I am a mandrake. I recreated this picture under our amazing cloud lights with someone that attended dressed as Bellatrix LeStrange. I am very proud to have a photo with a witch as powerful as her. I swear she is not making me type this.
Photo 18: When I returned the next Wednesday after Wizarding World of Jonesborough, I gave out my last gift to Gordon. He enjoyed his cat-shaped trinket holder.
Photo 19: Katie, Joe, and Gordon took me out to lunch to bid me farewell... they got me gifts, paid for my food, and then flipped my piece of cake upside down. It was a fun last meal with them and it really made me feel appreciated.
Well... this is the end of my photos... usually I just say some stuff about "see you next week" but I will be back in Kentucky next week. This will not truly be the end though, I will definitely be back volunteering at some point, but I sadly will not be involved as much. Just as others have said, part of me wishes I were graduated so I could stay, but I still have many adventures to be had.
I want to thank April, for being a colleague that learned with me and always asked me questions that made me think harder about my process and how to teach others.
I want to thank Robert (the GOAT) for always listening to my crazy discoveries while researching and always answering any questions I had about numismatics, all the while being a familiar, friendly face to just chat with as well.
I want to thank Hannah, for being a fun coworker and always knowing what to do when Katie abandoned us for vacation. She was also a great second pair of eyes for advisement.
I want to thank Joe for being his silly self and always giving me great material for these posts while also being a great conversationalist, I can't track how many times I walked by your desk then lost about 30 minutes to yapping time. I don't regret those lost minutes though, they aren't really lost because I remember our conversations quite well and they are memories I'll have for a long time.
I want to thank Gordon, for always looking on the positive side of things and reminding me that my work here is appreciated. Every time I saw him, he brought a bundle of happiness into the room, and even if everything seemed wrong, Gordon has a way to make everything seem alright.
I want to thank you all, for being an amazing audience and reacting, sharing, and talking about these posts. It has been so much fun to be recognized for my work, and it wouldn't have happened without your engagement.
Lastly, I want to thank Katie, my boss for this summer. She has helped me tremendously in understanding how a small museum functions. From the first day, she was welcoming, sweet, and happy to have me. As we both thrive off of social interaction while working, I mostly abandoned my desk to sit in her office to work. Katie is easily one of the best bosses I've ever had. She has taught me so much in so little time, and I will cherish it all. She always encouraged me to be myself and assured me I always have a place here, which means more than anything. If she were the one leaving, I would be standing on my desk saying "oh captain, my captain" in a heartbeat. I am going to miss coming to work every day and hearing what insane thing her cat did, what events we have coming up, and what the plan is for the day. Nevertheless, I know the days will still happen without me here (though it won't be as funny without me around) and I know the organization will still be strong whenever I return to volunteer because Katie is the director.
I'm not saying goodbye because I do not want to cry at the front desk of the Chester Inn, so I am going to say see you all later. Rock on, Jonesborough.
