Intern Alumni Spotlight: What are former Mill Museum Interns up to now?
Isabella Posel, our Spring 26’ Mill Museum intern interviewed six of our past interns to find out how their experience working at the Mill Museum has impacted their career direction.
During her internship, Isabella focused on creating social media content for the Mill Museum. Her internship was obtained through a course at UVM called Cultural Heritage Community of Practice. Students in this course are required to hold an internship at a cultural heritage organization and complete 100 hours of work.
Did you Know?
We are proud to share that since 2022, interns working at the Mill Museum receive a stipend for their hard work and time! Not only do our interns gain valuable real life working experience, they also contribute A LOT to projects that have a positive impact on our community. Our interns are not just sideline observers, they are doing important work: helping with outreach programming and research.
Past support for our internship positions has come through a combination of project grants, business sponsors, and individual donors. Please consider making a donation to our internship program so we can continue to offer this incredible learning opportunity!
Juneau Rich (they/them):
Juneau Rich interned with us in the fall of their senior year at Saint Michael’s College, in 2023. They worked to foster youth engagement, creating historical dress-up costumes and paper dolls.
“My time at the museum shaped how I wanted to work with certain communities,” says Juneau, discussing their experience working with different communities at the museum. “It widened my perspective on what educating outside a classroom can look like.”
This past May, Juneau completed their masters degree from UVM in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration. During their time as a graduate student, they used what they learned working at the Mill Museum to help provide resources for higher education students and to integrate art with education.
Will Hamilton (he/him):
Will Hamilton interned at the Mill Museum during his sophomore year at UVM, 2024.
Will worked with the museum and Vermont Folklife to organize a listening party based on the audio testimony of former mill employees.
Will graduated from UVM this past spring. He is currently exploring postgraduate opportunities. Will says of his experience interning with us, “I definitely appreciated my time and learned a lot. I’m interested in doing something local history related. It’s a cool way to understand this place better.”
Madeline King (she/her):
Madeline King interned with us in the summer and fall of 2024 before her junior year at UVM.
As an intern, Madeline assisted with art outreach at our French Heritage Day and Fiber Fair, and interviewed participants in our community quilt project at the Winooski senior center. “It was so cool to hear the stories behind each quilt piece,” she says.
Madeline says of local history museum work, “there’s a really strong community which comes with it.”
Madeline graduated from UVM this past May. Reflecting on her work with us, Madeline describes how her role at the museum shaped her career goals and interests. “It was a really great place to learn the ropes,” she says. “It got me into the museum side of anthropology, which is something I’m exploring now.”
Sarah Maroney (she/her):
Sarah Maroney interned with us in the spring of 2025 after graduating from UVM the winter prior.
Sarah worked with us as a way to gain curation experience and learn more about local history. She conducted research, facilitated tours, and aided in our community outreach.
“[The internship] definitely gave me a lot of direction I didn’t have,” she says, explaining how working with local immigrant communities through our weaving and knitting programs led her to her job now at an immigration law firm.
Sarah credits working with the AALV and weaving groups with Nepalese women as having led her to use her research skills in a very different setting: “getting to work with these women definitely showed me I wanted to do something with immigration. I wanted to continue to work with these populations.”
Shannon Kaiser (she/her):
Shannon Kaiser interned with us in the summer before her senior year at UVM, 2023.
“I always wanted to work in museums in some capacity,” she says. “Working at the mill museum encouraged me.”
She helped research child labor and the work of Lewis Hine, including the history of Vermont mill workers. Shannon also aided with outreach and working with different communities, including our French Heritage Day and work with AALV: “[The museum] has a large presence because of its community outreach.”
Shannon also discussed how her time with us shaped her current career as an assistant curator. She helps select American artwork to be displayed abroad at the homes of U.S ambassadors and diplomats. Shannon enjoys planning exhibits and the same cross-cultural work she engaged in at the Mill Museum.
Paige Burton (she/her):
Paige Burton interned with us in 2021, during her senior year at UVM.
Paige worked as a communications intern, interviewing community members about their connections to the mill and engaged in a variety of hands-on museum work. “I love local museums and what they do,” she says of her interest in the cultural heritage sector.
Interning at the Mill Museum led her to nonprofit work, which is what she does now, using her communication abilities as a fundraising consultant for nonprofits.
She reflects on her work at the mill museum, saying “I thought the work was really cool.”
Interested in becoming an intern? Feel free to send a cover letter and resume to info@themillmuseum.org.