Thank You Interns

Five volunteer interns from local universities and graduate schools assisted PHLF from January through April 2013 with educational programs, main street revitalization, and the Downtown Districts National Register project. They helped edit a guidebook on twentieth-century architecture, created a facade rendering for a small-business owner, assisted on many walking tours, created mural projects for elementary school students, edited poetry and art books, and represented PHLF at various presentations and events.

We thank Julie Collins, Sarah Medwig, Catherine Truslow, and Audrey von Ahrens––all from the University of Pittsburgh––and Stevie Greek from Chatham University for volunteering. Below are a few comments from the interns on their experience at PHLF.

•  “Through work with educational tours and updating the National Register data, I have not only gained an even stronger bond with Pittsburgh and its buildings, but I have also learned a great deal more about historic preservation. Conducting walking tours allowed me to interact with the Pittsburgh community and inspire children to become excited about architecture. Interning with PHLF has changed my perspective and heightened my appreciation for how I view the buildings around me.”

––Julie Collins, University of Pittsburgh (Urban Studies, Historic Preservation, Italian Studies)

• “Coming from rural Pennsylvania, my internship with PHLF has been a great opportunity for me to learn more about my adopted home of Pittsburgh and to pursue my interest in Historic Preservation. Of any organization I have come into contact with in the last four years, I am the most impressed with PHLF because of the talented people who choose to work and volunteer here. PHLF is doing important work and the level of passion and dedication at this organization will be a continual inspiration to me.”

––Stevie Greek, Chatham University (Interior Architecture)

•  I am so grateful for the experiences I had through PHLF. Getting to work with public school children was very rewarding, and really fun! It was awesome to see how preservation can work in a classroom setting and encourage kids to be creative and artistic. I’m so glad I had the chance to be a part of those activities this past semester.

––Sarah Medwig, University of Pittsburgh (Anthropology, History of Art and Architecture, Historic Preservation)

•  “The time that I spent as an intern with PHLF was extremely rewarding. I had the opportunity to see the results of my efforts in the office by leading and assisting with various educational tours that focused on the architecture and history of different Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The intention of each tour was to inspire and educate others, but I ended up learning a lot myself.”

––Catherine Truslow, University of Pittsburgh (Urban Studies, Historic Preservation, French)

•  “I am really glad I got to be exposed to the work that PHLF does with kids in creating a bond between them and their surrounding built environment. The importance of the youngest generations taking interest in their hometowns and surrounding environments is something that never occurred to me until this internship but it seems like it can trigger some closer connections and inspire some curiosity to deepen their roots and expand them. I love that PHLF takes such pride in Pittsburgh’s history and that the organization is making a strong effort to ensure it is acknowledged and cherished. Pittsburgh is truly an amazing city that I have learned to love in just my four years attending the University of Pittsburgh. PHLF was a great place to end those four years.

––Audrey von Ahrens, University of Pittsburgh (Architectural Studies/Historic Preservation)

To learn more about volunteer internships with PHLF, click here.