As the midterm election approaches in November, Catherine Dierker 鈥�27 is asking a timely question: Can educators better prepare young people to participate in democracy?

An 黑料不打烊 history major with teacher licensure from Marietta, Georgia, Dierker鈥檚 research focuses on improving civic engagement among young voters. She will present her findings during the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum on April 28.

鈥淐onsidering that the youth turnout rate is so low, what can we do to make students feel prepared and make them feel like when they graduate, they can make a difference?鈥� she said.

Dierker鈥檚 interest in research grew through 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Teaching Fellows program, where she developed an inquiry project that eventually evolved into her SURF presentation.

鈥淚鈥檝e always really been very curious,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was something that I was interested in, but then given the opportunity to develop.鈥�

Her project examines effective practices in civics education, drawing from national and international data, teacher interviews and existing scholarship. While her findings reveal no single solution, they point to three key strategies that can help foster civic engagement among students.

鈥淭he first being to embrace controversy,鈥� Dierker explained. 鈥淧eople shy away from trying to tackle big subjects that are a little controversial, but it鈥檚 what makes people engaged. It fires people up, and passionate people are going to act.鈥�

In addition, her research highlights the importance of promoting civic agency, helping students feel that their voices matter, and incorporating service learning into classrooms.

鈥淎llowing people to get out in their local community and do a semester-long project really demonstrates to them that they have made a difference,鈥� she said.

Dierker emphasized that her work is less about prescribing a single method and more about offering a framework for educators.

鈥淭here鈥檚 not one thing that we can say to all teachers, do this and all of your students will go out and vote,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut if we apply these strategies, we will see a lot better turnout and results from our civic education.鈥�

Her research process combined large-scale data analysis with qualitative insights. She examined U.S. census data, compared state-level education practices and reviewed studies from both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Mentored by Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Carrie Eaves, Dierker said the experience has been both academically rigorous and personally meaningful.

鈥淪he鈥檚 fantastic,鈥� said Dierker of Eaves. 鈥淚t鈥檚 those little connections that were nice to talk about and then really dive into the details of the research.鈥�

During SURF Day, all other campus activities are suspended so the 黑料不打烊 community can come together around students鈥� creative endeavors and research efforts. Undergraduate research is also one of the five 黑料不打烊 Experiences, which provides a natural extension of the work students do in the classroom and ensure that 黑料不打烊 graduates are prepared for both graduate school and careers. Although this will be her first time presenting at SURF, Dierker is looking forward to sharing her work.

鈥淚鈥檓 nervous, but I鈥檓 excited. I鈥檓 really passionate about it. I love talking about things that I鈥檓 passionate about,鈥� she said.

As she prepares for a future in the classroom, Dierker hopes her research will help shape how civics is taught and how students see their role in society.

鈥淚t鈥檚 more of a framework to guide how we go about education and how we go about interacting with our community and with our nation,鈥� she said.

When Yidi Wu talks about Argentine tango, her face glows with the same energy she brings to the dance floor. Growing up in China, Wu learned choreographed dance, like ballet, modern dance and Chinese folk dance, but not partner dancing. Choreography is structured and dancers know the next moves in the routine. In tango, however, each step is improvised, which made Wu fall in love with the dance.

Wu discovered tango while studying to be a China historian at the University of California, Irvine, where she took partner-dance classes at the university gym. She gravitated toward tango and joined a student club for social dancing, where she eventually joined the Bay Area鈥檚 wider tango community. More than 10 years later, she still dances regularly 鈥� both for pleasure and for work. She describes herself as a historian by day and a dancer by night.

In addition to teaching courses on China, East Asia and world history, Wu also teaches a Winter Term Argentine tango course, which blends her academic expertise with her passion for dance. The course, which she has taught twice, combines history, film and, of course, dance. The course also gives students a broad understanding of tango鈥檚 global history. Each class, Wu introduces new vocabulary, emphasizing that tango functions as a language in its own way.

鈥淭he Argentine tango course is one of my favorite classes to teach because it is so different from what I usually teach and how I teach,鈥� said Wu, an associate professor of history and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 O鈥橞riant Developing Professor. 鈥淭ango is a social dance, and it is for everyone.鈥�

Because tango is a partner dance, Wu invites her local tango friends from Durham, Chapel Hill and Greensboro to join each class and help teach. Wu said she is very appreciative of the local tango community.

The Winter Term course concludes with a milonga, a tango dance party, that is open to the community and features musicians. Wu says milonga is an important part of her course on the history and culture around Argentine tango because the tango is meant to be enjoyed in a social setting.

鈥淭his course is very unique, and there are few courses like it in the United States,鈥� she said. 鈥淭eaching tango and combining dance with history is very interdisciplinary.鈥�

Students from a variety of majors have enrolled in the course. In fact, Wu said, the first year she taught it, none were dance majors, though many students grew up dancing or enjoyed movement.

If you are looking for Wu outside of the classroom, you can find her dancing at a local tango club in Durham.

聽(Brepols, 2026) is derived from the third and fourth installations of the聽聽conference. The purpose of the conference was to examine how the bishop, one of the key characters in the administration of medieval Europe, shaped how medieval European history has been recorded and remembered. Bolstered by the sense that the bishop, as an organizing idea, matters, the inaugural conference, In the Hands of God鈥檚 Servants, sought to examine the construction, enhancement, and expression of episcopal power at a local level. Papers selected and adapted for publication appeared in , which offers microhistories of episcopal power and authority, fracturing what we know about the bishop into episodes that represent dioceses and dependents, and the individuals that ran them. The singularity of these stories inspired the subject of the second conference on Episcopal Personalities. Papers from this conference were published in , which explored the work and responsibilities of the bishop, how a bishop鈥檚 persona shaped his approach to the episcopal office, and how a bishop鈥檚 charisma affected the way in which he was received or remembered by the communities he served.

Analysis of the bishop鈥檚 personality encouraged the organizers to mine the slippery space between the office and the man, not only for the ways this space elides differences between the episcopal personae of priest, pastor, or prince, but also because the space sheds light on from where鈥� or from whom 鈥� a bishop鈥檚 power derived. The third conference, The Bishop as Diplomat, took up this question as its focus, turning away from the bishop as an agent for and as himself, to the bishop’s role as a representative of the power and authority of others. The papers offered at this conference examined how bishops developed the skills and tactics needed for diplomacy, as well as how and when these skills were deployed, and in what circumstances. They also explored what it meant for a bishop, who was already representing an office beyond himself, to be a diplomat, which often required the bishop to re-present someone else.

Two years later, organizers turned to a theme that had been at the edge of each of the previous conferences: the Bishop as Patron. This conference focused on visual, material and social expressions of episcopal power as well as how those expressions were managed to ensure the legitimacy or the legacy of a bishop. Papers examined traditional examples of patronage, such as those demonstrated through the construction, expansion, and renovation of buildings and the production and reception of manuscripts. The papers asked how and with whom bishops built relationships, and how those relationships were maintained (or neglected).

The essays selected from these last two conferences were edited, expanded and combined into a single volume. Together, they offer a broad overview of how relational culture defines how, why, and for whom bishops work.

is divided into four parts. The introduction, authored by Gatti and Silvestri, explains how this book, the last in the 鈥淧ower of the Bishop鈥� series, responds to and expands on the usefulness of the 鈥渂ishop鈥� as a category of scholarly focus. Next, a prologue by Philippa Byrne asks, 鈥淲hat was Episcopal about Episcopal Patronage?” The remaining essays are divided into two sections. The first section, 鈥淓piscopal Patronage as Re/Presentation鈥�, foregrounds the material aspects of episcopal patronage, such as churches, manuscripts, hagiographies, rites, rituals, frescoes, windows and tombs. This section includes a chapter by Gatti, 鈥淒iplomatic Gestures: Art and Ambivalence in Eleventh-Century Italy鈥�, in which she compares visual images of the bishop to the embodied language of diplomatic gestures. The final section, 鈥淧atronizing Bishops: Clients, Diplomats, Allies, and Rivals鈥�, examines episcopal patronage as an extension of episcopal relationships with families, kings, emperors, and clients, with predecessors and successors, as alliances and antagonisms, and between bishops and their congregations, as well as the monastic and secular clergy.

Creating a coherent collection in a field as broad and disparate as medieval studies can be challenging. In fact, the hardships experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibitions for travel, the closure of archives and libraries across the UK, Europe, and North America, as well as the crises in higher education and funding cuts for scholarly work, made completing this book particularly difficult. In fact, it was because of these challenges that a decision was made to publish papers from the 2017 and 2019 conferences together after plans for a separate volume fell through. This effort fulfilled a commitment made by the conveners to publish high-quality scholarly papers that had been selected and expanded for publication.

Since his 2023 arrival at 黑料不打烊, Kelly has hosted a 鈥榣istening tour鈥� and spent time with each department to hear directly from faculty and staff about what they value. Kelly said that common themes soon emerged from those conversations and the new statement reflects dozens of discussions.

黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences new vision statement reads: 鈥淭he Heart of an 黑料不打烊 Education: Ignite Curiosity, Engage Challenges, Transform Worlds.鈥�

The mission statement then declares:

鈥淯pholding the centrality of the liberal arts, we explore and apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge for inquiry, creativity, discovery and problem solving in a complex and changing world.鈥�

The statement lists core values that include accessibility, belonging, critical thinking, diversity, equity and inclusion, integrity, intellectual curiosity, problem-posing and respect for human dignity.

Community Reflections

• 鈥淭here were several opportunities for different groups, departments, branches, interdisciplinary programs, to discuss versions on the table. It was in those conversations where we might learn how a word or phrase was heard within and across disciplines; where we found convergence, deeper awareness, and respect. The both-and of this process modeled what we value and genuinely captures our shared identity as 黑料不打烊 College.鈥� – Caroline Ketcham, associate dean of 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of exercise science
• 鈥淚t was always important to us that this wasn鈥檛 a process where faculty were just asked to weigh in at the end, after the real decisions had already been made. From start to finish, it was grounded in listening to what faculty across the college say we do well and what values they believe guide our shared work. Our task wasn鈥檛 to invent a mission, vision and values, but to clearly articulate what faculty are already living and leading with. I think that鈥檚 why faculty can so readily see themselves and their departments represented in the final statements.鈥� – David Buck, associate dean of 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences and an associate professor of psychology
• 鈥淗aving shared goals and articulated values helps everyone in the college feel connected as a community, value each other鈥檚 work and prioritize our energies on initiatives that matter to us.鈥� – Shannon Duvall, interim associate dean of 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of computer science
• 鈥淚 appreciated the collaborative nature of it all, not just between the dean鈥檚 office and department chairs, but also extending to faculty members across 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences. It really did involve all of us. What particularly stood out to me were the conversations in our chairs鈥� meetings with the dean where we came to agreements on core values. It鈥檚 inspiring to see that distinctly different types of disciplines uphold the same core values.鈥� – Joel Karty, chair of the Department of Chemistry and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Sydney F. & Kathleen E. Jackson Professor of chemistry
• 鈥淚 appreciated being part of a process that felt genuinely collaborative. Our participation was not merely symbolic. It felt meaningful, and I experienced the dean鈥檚 office as truly listening. The process itself was also inspirational, and I feel bolstered in leading my own department through similar work. It was powerful to see such a broad, collective effort take shape into something tangible.鈥� – Samantha DiRosa, chair of the Department of Art and a professor of art and environmental studies
• 鈥淭he process of creating a new vision statement, mission statement and core values for 黑料不打烊 College, the College of Arts and Sciences was both thoughtful and deeply collaborative. Over many months, department chairs worked together to reflect on what makes us distinctive and how best to express those qualities in guiding statements. The process intentionally sought input from across departments, ensuring that everyone in the college had the opportunity to contribute their perspectives. Personally, the time spent reflecting with fellow chairs on what makes each of our departments special fostered a deeper sense of shared purpose and collective commitment.鈥� – Carrie Eaves, chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Policy and associate professor of political science and public policy

Kelly said he was pleased the final language resonated with the faculty in the college.

鈥淭he true measure of a successful attempt to lead a group or an organization towards a renewed vision, mission and core values is whether the words and sentiments 鈥榮ound like us鈥�,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I heard that some faculty believed my presentation of our vision, mission and core values at our spring faculty meeting 鈥榮ound like us,鈥� I knew that our work together in small and large group settings was a huge success. It means that stakeholders were heard and that the words resonate so much so that the tune or melody is familiar. The vision, mission and core values reflect truly who we are and where we are going with much intention.鈥�

Community Conversations & Civic Engagement

Deliberative Dialogue 鈥� America鈥檚 250: What鈥檚 Next America?

Monday, Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m., Lakeside 212

As America marks its 250th year, this dialogue invites reflection on our shared past and the opportunity for diverse voices to share space and ideas to develop a collective vision for the next 250. Sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life and Political Engagement Work Group

Better Together: Breaking Bread, Building Bridges

Feb. 24 鈥� May 5, every other Tuesday, 12:30-1:45 p.m.

Join us at Better Together this spring for connection and conversation. This time together invites us to live fully in the present and reflect on what makes this moment meaningful. Share stories, explore diverse perspectives, and build community. .

Dr. Habiba Sarabi: Education Rights of Afghan Women

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Alumni Gym

Join a conversation with Dr. Habiba Sarabi on the global impact of Afghanistan鈥檚 ban on women鈥檚 education and the fight for educational rights and gender equality. Dr. Sarabi, an Afghan politician, women鈥檚 rights activist, and medical doctor made history as the first woman to be appointed a provincial governor in Afghanistan, leading Bamyan Province. She previously served as Minister of Women鈥檚 Affairs and Minister of Culture and Education, where she focused on expanding education, protecting the environment and advancing the rights of women.

State of the Union Address Watch Party

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 8-10:30 p.m., Moseley 105

Join us for pizza and a live viewing of President Trump鈥檚 first State of the Union address of his second term. Come watch, discuss and stay informed. Sponsored by 黑料不打烊 Votes!

Love Your Body, Berry Much

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. 鈥� 1:30 p.m., Lakeside Entrance

Stop by for coconut-lime strawberries and a strawberry mocktail, courtesy of 黑料不打烊 Dining, while also learning tips for mindful eating. Swing through, grab a treat and discover ways to build healthier habits. Visit the for more information.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss 鈥� 鈥淢an Up: Understanding Misogyny to Prevent Extremism

Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Lecture

Thursday, Feb. 26, 4:30 p.m., Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space

Extremism expert Cynthia Miller-Idriss examines how misogyny 鈥� online and off 鈥� fuels the rise in far-right and mass violence, and offers strategies for interruption and prevention rooted in everyday life. The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Lecture honors Lauren, who was set to join 黑料不打烊’s Class of 2015 before her murder by a former boyfriend in July 2011. Established in her memory, the fund educates the 黑料不打烊 community on healthy relationships and building a culture free from violence. Visit the Spring Cultural Calendar for more information about upcoming events this semester.

Adventure Time with 黑料不打烊 Outdoors!

Adventures in Leadership Summer Staff Positions Available

Applications are now open for summer Adventures in Leadership staff positions, where you鈥檒l guide incoming first-year students through exciting outdoor experiences. Earn potential internship credit and build leadership skills. Apply today on the 黑料不打烊 Job Network!

黑料不打烊 Challenge

The 黑料不打烊 Challenge is a great way to help classes, teams, organizations, corporations or cohorts grow through building authentic relationships, learning how to manage resources, developing creative thinking, and applying knowledge in new ways. Visit the 黑料不打烊 Challenge website to review the options, gather your group, and complete the interest form to schedule a customized, no-cost experience.

Last Chance to Become an Orientation Leader

Application Deadline is Friday, Feb. 27

The Orientation Leader application is still live. As an OL, you are an integral part of the orientation process. You will play a pivotal role in the transition of all the new students to 黑料不打烊, serving as a guide and mentor to new students throughout their transition. by this Friday, Feb. 27.

Arrington Brooks聽will join eight other聽regional聽recipients聽who were nominated聽for their impact, first by the public,聽before聽being聽selected by the Washingtonian.聽Her profile will also be featured in the January issue of the magazine.

This recognition聽is聽just one of many received by Arrington Brooks this year.聽This December,聽she was named one聽of聽聽during the initiative’s 20th year.聽With a focus on the聽L鈥橭r茅al聽Paris tagline, 鈥淏ecause You鈥檙e Worth It,鈥� the聽honor awards 10 nonprofit leaders with $25,000 to support their causes,聽mentorship from the L鈥橭r茅al Paris network, as well as a national platform to share聽their impact.聽In attendance聽at the Dec. 2 event at聽the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures鈥櫬燚olby Family Terrace聽in Los Angeles were actor Sophia Bush, who interviewed聽Arrington Brooks聽on the聽20th聽anniversary red carpet, model and “Project Runway” host Heidi Klum who met with her, and actor Andie McDowell who introduced her and Sloane Davidson at the event.

Earlier this year,聽Arrington Brooks was named one of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Top 10 Under 10 recipients during聽Alumni聽Awards Weekend on May 3, recognizing聽her聽founding聽and continued work with the聽nonprofit,聽ScholarCHIPS.聽ScholarCHIPS聽provides聽college scholarships, mentoring, mental health support, and a network to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education. The聽initiative has gained traction through the 黑料不打烊 Alumni Chapter in Washington, D.C.,聽and several national聽broadcasts including CNN Heroes聽and the聽Drew Barrymore聽Show.

Now, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Department of English, History and Music, and Women鈥檚, Gender, & Sexualities program is inviting the community to 鈥淐elebrating Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf: An Anniversary Symposium鈥� from Nov. 4-6 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Austen鈥檚 birth and the 100th anniversary of Woolf鈥檚 鈥淢rs. Dalloway鈥�.

Austen鈥檚 novels explore the moral, material and emotional lives of women navigating the constraints of the late 18th and early 19th centuries鈥� marriage market.

鈥淚n spite of her reputation as a charming romance writer, Jane Austen is not as polite, kind or innocent as sometimes advertised,鈥� said Professor Rosemary Haskell. 鈥淟etters reveal a sharper side. In a letter to her sister Cassandra, for example, Austen writes, 鈥楳rs. Hall, of Sherborne, was brought to bed yesterday of a dead child, some weeks before she expected, owing to a fright. I suppose she happened unawares to look at her husband.鈥欌��

Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway” follows upper-class Clarissa Dalloway through a single day in 1920s London as she plans a party that will bring together friends and former lovers, only to be overshadowed by the tragedy of a World War I veteran’s suicide.

鈥淰irginia Woolf explored the lives of women in both fiction and nonfiction,鈥� Haskell said. 鈥淗er 1929 essay 鈥楢 Room of One’s Own鈥� argues women need both the space, the time and the money to be artists. As Woolf speculates, 鈥榃hat would have happened had Shakespeare had a wonderfully gifted sister, called Judith, let us say?鈥欌��

The symposium will feature music, student poster presentations, lectures and a film screening.

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Who Do You Play For? Music and Meaning in Jane Austen

Associate Professor of Music Douglas Jurs and his students will perform music inspired by Austen鈥檚 works.
Whitley Auditorium | 4:30 鈥� 5:30 p.m.

Student Poster Presentation

Students in Professor Megan Isaac鈥檚 鈥淪enior English Seminar鈥� and Professor Janet Myers鈥檚 鈥淏ritish Women Novelists鈥� courses will present research on the works of Austen and Woolf.
LaRose Student Commons Room 200 | 5:30 鈥� 6:30 p.m.

Lightning Lectures

Three brief lectures by Professor Rosemary Haskell, Assistant Teaching Professor Craig Morehead and Professor Michael Carignan from the Department of History will explore the lives and times of Austen and Woolf.
LaRose Student Commons Room 200 | 6:30 鈥� 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 5

Film Screening: 鈥淢rs. Dalloway鈥�

Enjoy a screening of 鈥淢rs. Dalloway,鈥� based on Woolf鈥檚 celebrated novel, with opening remarks by Assistant Professor Dan Burns.
McEwen Screening Room 013 | 8 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 6

Guest Lecturer on Austen

Inger Brodey, a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will lecture on, 鈥淩evisiting Jane Austen鈥檚 Happy Endings after 250 Years,鈥� to examine the problematic endings of Austen鈥檚 novels, which are conveniently romantically happy, but also contain disturbing implications. Brodey鈥檚 book, 鈥淛ane Austen and the Price of Happiness鈥� was published in 2024 by John Hopkins University Press.
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion | Reception at 6:30 p.m., Lecture at 7 p.m.

Launched by the US-UK Fulbright Commission in partnership with AAC&U, the awards support pairs of U.S.- and U.K.-based faculty who co-deliver VE/COIL courses addressing climate Action, health Inequality, disinformation & misinformation, or peace and justice. Each recipient works with an institutional team (administrator and instructional support colleague) to scale VE/COIL on their campus.

As part of the award, Marshall will co-design and co-teach a transatlantic course pairing 黑料不打烊鈥檚 鈥淔oundations of Peace & Conflict Studies鈥� with 鈥淎trocities, Conflict, Human Rights,鈥� led by Peter Manning of the University of Bath. Implementation is slated to begin in fall 2026 following AAC&U-led clinics and mentoring for recipients.

Marshall鈥檚 scholarship and teaching center on political and cultural geography with expertise in the Middle East, migration and refugees, and the geographies of children and youth. He has authored more than three dozen articles and chapters and leads community-engaged research using methods such as oral history and digital storytelling.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited that this collaboration will offer students in my Peace and Conflict Studies course the opportunity to engage in dialogue and peer-to-peer learning about pressing global issues from a truly transnational perspective,鈥� Marshall said. 鈥淭his kind of project not only enhances students鈥� intercultural learning but also provides them with valuable real-world collaboration skills.鈥�

Representing 黑料不打烊, Marshall is joined by an institutional team of Nick Gozik, dean of global education, and Becky Kloepfer, instructional technologist with Teaching and Learning Technologies. Institutional teams in the program help integrate virtual exchange across the curriculum and build campus capacity for VE/COIL.

鈥淭his recognition highlights 黑料不打烊鈥檚 commitment to relationship-rich global learning that is accessible to all students. VE/COIL allows us to embed meaningful, mentored international engagement directly into courses, advancing our goals for inclusive excellence and global education as found within 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Global Strategic Plan,鈥� said Gozik.

Kloepfer added: 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to contribute to this project and to see how intentional instructional design and purposeful technology integration can create opportunities for meaningful collaboration across our global community. By embedding VE/COIL into our courses, we鈥檙e not only expanding cultural perspectives but also engaging students in authentic, real-world learning experiences that prepare them for a connected world.鈥�

The fellowship supports the next generation of China specialists and helps them engage with the American public. The program is designed to deepen fellows鈥� understanding of policymaking in both countries, strengthen relationships with academic and policy leaders, and build skills for public engagement.

Wu will join 19 other fellows for workshops in Washington, D.C., on the West Coast and in Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The fellows will meet with policymakers, participate in media training and receive support to organize U.S. – China events in their local communities.

鈥淚 am very honored to be selected for this competitive program, and I envision several ways to contribute to 黑料不打烊 and the community through the program,鈥� Wu said.

Wu plans to host a China Town Hall event on campus in collaboration with PIP to spark student engagement with contemporary China. She is also in discussions with LIFE@黑料不打烊 about delivering a talk on the history of Chinese higher education.
She also plans to organize a book talk at Persnickety Books in Burlington, upon the release of her first book, 鈥淪tudent Activism in Bloom: China and the Communist World in the Late 1950s,鈥� to be published by Cambridge University Press, continuing her efforts to connect her scholarship with the broader public.

Established in 1966, the National Committee on United States-China Relations is a registered nonprofit educational organization that 鈥渆ncourages understanding of China and the United States between citizens of both countries.鈥�

As a Chinese national who has pursued a liberal arts college education in the U.S., Wu brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by both Chinese and American educational systems. Within her PIP cohort, her focus on teaching and pedagogy, in addition to her scholarship, is seen as an asset.

At 黑料不打烊, Wu uses role-playing games in her Chinese history courses to engage students in historical decision-making. Her scholarly work explores student activism in the Mao era and Chinese higher education during the Cold War, subjects that remain underrepresented in English-language scholarship.

鈥淲ith my PIP training, I hope to expand my horizon beyond campus and academia, to engage more with the American public locally and nationally,鈥� Wu said. 鈥淢y research on student activism and higher education, paired with innovative pedagogy, allows me to foster deeper understandings of U.S. – China relations through the lens of education.

鈥淭rained as a historian who conducts oral history interviews, I am committed to asking meaningful questions, building dialogue and connecting across communities.鈥�

When accepted a summer internship with the (NMAH), she knew one thing for certain: if the experience was going to be remote, she was going to make the most of it. From her laptop in Charlotte, Moore dove into editorial projects, joined committees, and sought out connections that ensured her internship would be as engaging and fulfilling as if she had spent the summer in Washington, D.C.

鈥淚 was determined to be as connected and involved as I could be for a remote intern,鈥� Moore said. That determination defined her internship experience, pushing her to participate in projects far beyond her primary editorial role.

As an Editorial Services intern, Moore immersed herself in the museum鈥檚 public-facing work 鈥� writing and refining text for exhibitions, newsletters, promotional materials, and accessibility initiatives. She contributed to more than 150 pieces of exhibition text and worked on 25 separate projects, each with unique editorial needs. The range of assignments gave her a crash course in the precision and creativity required for museum communication. From captioning and alt text to exhibition signage, she learned that editing was about more than grammar 鈥撀爄t was about making history accessible and engaging to broad audiences.

She also sought ways to build community. Moore joined the museum鈥檚 newsletter and social committees, collaborating with fellow interns to highlight their projects in a newsletter distributed to NMAH staff, volunteers, and Fellows. She also logged into professional development workshops hosted by the Smithsonian鈥檚 Office of Academic Appointments and Internships, where she connected with students interning across the institution. These opportunities gave her a sense of belonging, even while working hundreds of miles away.

During the final week of her internship, Moore traveled to Washington, D.C., where she connected with colleagues in person, toured the museum, and worked from the Editorial Services office. The chance to step behind the scenes of the institution she had come to know remotely brought her summer experience full circle.

Equally valuable as the projects she completed were the relationships she built. Meeting professional editors, hearing their career stories, and benefiting from their mentorship left a lasting impression. 鈥淕etting to meet other editors was incredible,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淭he staff at NMAH were welcoming, and I enjoyed learning more about everyone鈥檚 career paths.鈥�

Her curiosity extended beyond editing. Reviewing exhibition texts exposed her to a wide range of U.S. history topics, a rewarding element of the work. 鈥淪ince most of the projects were educational, I got to learn a lot about different U.S. history topics,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am someone who is really driven by curiosity and storytelling, so this aspect made the work even more fulfilling.鈥�

Moore credits her coursework at 黑料不打烊 with preparing her for the Smithsonian experience. Classes like Multiplatform News Editing, Media Law and Ethics, and Introduction to Museum Studies provided the foundation she drew on throughout the summer. At times, she even pulled out old notes to guide her through assignments. The lessons she gained also reshaped how she approaches her role as managing editor of The Pendulum, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 student-run newspaper.

鈥淭his experience fundamentally changed the way I approach editing,鈥� she said.

Looking back, Moore is eager to share advice with other students hoping to land similar internships. Her first suggestion is simple: apply, even if an opportunity feels out of reach.

She recalled nearly skipping both the Smithsonian application and an earlier National Geographic application because she doubted her chances. While she did not get the NatGeo position, the interview process sharpened her skills and gave her confidence moving forward. She encourages others to view internships as learning opportunities rather than proof of expertise.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e the ideal candidate based on the job listing, how much can you learn in that experience? Moore asked.

The 黑料不打烊 senior also urges students to show adaptability and a willingness to grow. While she was confident in her copyediting skills, she had never worked with the Chicago Manual of Style before arriving at NMAH. By highlighting her ability to adapt to different style guides, she showed the editorial team she was ready to learn. Practical preparation also matters, she added 鈥撀爇eep portfolios updated and request recommendation letters early.

For Moore, her internship reaffirmed her career goals. Being an editor at a museum remains her dream job, but she knows her post-graduation path may be broader at first. Still, her summer at the Smithsonian convinced her she is on the right path.