MU’s Bryanna Nase Interns at the American Philosophical Society

From working in MU's archives to scanning paper objects and harvesting metadata in the heart of Philadelphia, Bryanna Nase has done it all.

Nase, a sophomore at Millersville majoring in history, spent her summer interning at the American Philosophical Society. Through this internship, Nase had one-of-a-kind experience working with data, transcribing diaries kept by Quaker women during the Revolutionary War and writing blog posts about Quaker households in the late 1700s.

When asked what drew her to apply for the internship, Nase shared that it was her fascination with working in archives.

"Archives are magical places-I learned that here at Millersville," says Nase. "I wanted to learn more about the field and gain practical skills to do the work."

Though her work at MU was research-based, Nase was new to digitization and transcription. APS gave her the skills she needed to succeed in her internship and beyond, and she learned how to use eScriptorium, a program that recognizes historical text and aids in the transcription process.

A favorite part of Nase's internship was the weekly "Career Chat" hosted for the interns on-site.

"Someone from a different department would spend an hour telling us about their career path, how they got to the APS, and what they love about their job. It was heartwarming to see people so excited and passionate about their job," says Nase. "It was also reassuring to hear how many of them did not have their careers figured out immediately. Everyone took a different path to get where they are today."

Nase recommends that other students apply for the internship, as it was an amazing experience and opportunity for her.

"Apply for anything that piques your interest, even if you're not confident you'll get it. You'll get better at writing cover letters and explaining why you want to work in a certain field the more you apply," says Nase.

While the internship is for summer only, students interested in applying should frequent the C. Dallett Hemphill Summer Internship Program page on the APS website for more information about Summer 2025. For information on all internships through Millersville University visit the internships page on the website.