Centre News

Alex Skees ’11 is spending the summer as an intern at Boston’s
Museum of Fine Arts. The Centre Internship Plus program is
funding the internship.

In addition to interning in the museum’s education department,
Skees has attended graduate school presentations and has had
informational interviews with representatives from various other
departments of the museum.

Whether they are traveling, volunteering, making some extra cash or a combination of the three, Centre College students spend their summer in a variety of ways. Summer is also a time when students take the opportunity to conduct research or complete internships.

Alex Skees ’11 of Jeffersonville, Ky., is one of those students. Skees is spending her summer as an administrative intern in the Education Department of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston.

An art history and French double major, Skees is interested in pursuing a career in the museum field.

“It’s been a wonderful experience so far, and I’m loving Boston!” Skees says. “It’s a great place for a college student to live during the summer because of all the universities in the area; there are always people your age around, and there’s always something to do.”

Skees, who interned at the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio during CentreTerm (the College’s three-week January term), wanted to gain experience at a larger institution before applying to graduate schools.

“I talked to my advisor, Dr. [William] Levin, and he recommended a few places, including the MFA,” she says.

Skees sits at the front desk of the department, answering phone calls and questions from visitors.

“I also work on projects for different people in the department, which vary from making spreadsheets comparing our studio art classes to others in the area, to transcribing writing samples, to basic stuff like making copies, taking the mail and filing paperwork,” Skees says.

In addition to her interning duties, Skees has also been able to attend several graduate school presentations with representatives of schools in the area.

“We recently had one with the chair of the Art History department at Boston University, and there are others planned with representatives from Harvard University and Tufts University,” Skees says.

Skees is also able to set up informational interviews with individuals from other departments, including the curator of Contemporary Art.

Skees is receiving funding from the Centre Internship Plus program for her internship. Through Career Services, Centre Internship Plus allows students to apply for exciting, high-quality internship experiences—some of which are for academic credit—with extra financial support. Students whose internships are approved receive up to $1,500 to help with expenses.