This essay concludes our series of occasional posts about the 2015 Mellon
Scholars Internship and Workshop programs. This program is generously funded by
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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| Dr. Kimberly Saunders |
This summer the Program in African American History
welcomed the second cohort of summer Mellon Scholars. These academic programs foster
and support students from underrepresented backgrounds with interests in early
African American history. The program consists of an internship spanning the
month of June along with a weeklong workshop series, which lasted June 15-19.
During the workshop week, three workshop participants joined the Mellon interns
for a rigorous week full of professional development activities. The workshop held sessions on various topics centered on applying to graduate school and
navigating academia. The students attended sessions on graduate school
selection, personal statement writing, and curriculum vitae development led by
Dr. Kimberly Saunders, director of the McNair Scholars Program at the
University of Delaware. Participants also gained insight into the fellowship
application process in a session led by the Library Company's Librarian Jim
Green.
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| Michael Dickinson |
As the program's Graduate Research Advisor, I led
two of the professional development seminars. I spent time with the Mellon Scholars
explaining my journey through graduate school and discussing how to navigate
the challenges of graduate life successfully. The students were extremely
engaged, asking a range of questions and expressing their own concerns as they
look to their future academic journey. “How did you decide which school to
attend?” “What was the biggest adjustment for you in transitioning from
undergraduate study?” “How do you balance your academic obligations and
personal life?” These were some of the questions participants energetically
posed during our first session. Together, we explored the ins and outs of
academia, both to inform students about how to successfully achieve their
academic aspirations and to address their potential apprehensions. The second
session I ran was focused on personal statement development and revision. This
meeting gave participants the opportunity to receive feedback from me and their
peers on their personal statement drafts, which they had crafted earlier in the
week.
The workshop week included a number of presentations
on African American history by notable scholars Dr. Maurice Jackson, professor
of history at Georgetown University; Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Director of
the Program in African American History; and Dr. Richard Newman, Director of
the Library Company. The Mellon Scholars also attended the Library Company’s annual
Juneteenth Freedom Seminar, which featured renowned political philosopher Dr.
Danielle Allen. The students absorbed these presentations not only for their
content but also for insight into effectively communicating research findings.
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| Jalyn Gordon and Shayne McGregor |
The Mellon Scholars would draw on these lessons
immediately as they were required to present their research at a colloquium
held on the final day of the workshop. In addition to professional development
lectures, the workshop week entailed a significant experiential learning
component. The three workshop participants were each assigned a historical
figure with a corresponding theme and were tasked with finding and interpreting
at least three primary sources from the Library Company’s African Americana
Collection that shed light on their topic. For example, one student was
assigned the topic of African American activist Martin Delany and his
relationship to black nationalism. Mellon interns similarly continued to
unearth materials on the individual topics they developed in previous weeks. I
worked with Library Company Curator of African American History Krystal Appiah to help
guide the workshop participants as they searched the archives for relevant
sources. At the colloquium, both groups provided presentations on their
findings and research progress. The process helped familiarize students with
finding and interpreting primary source material at a historical archive.
In addition to time at Library Company, I accompanied the
students to educational trips to historical resources throughout the city
including Temple University's Blockson Afro-American Collection, Mother Bethel
AME Church, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Therefore, I witnessed
the intellectual enthusiasm and potential the Mellon Scholars demonstrated both
inside and outside the walls of LCP. Though the Mellon Scholars frequently expressed
their appreciation for the experience, my fellow staff members and I were truly
fortunate to work with an incredibly talented group of students once again as
the program completed its second year. I would like to thank our students for
spreading their passion for learning and growth. Moreover, I would like to
thank Dr. Dunbar and Krystal Appiah for the rewarding experience.
Michael
Dickinson
2015
Mellon Scholars Graduate Research Advisor
PhD
Candidate in History, University of Delaware
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