Caitlin Doolittle was looking to participate in a new experience this summer. She found it, and it involved decades-old lamp posts. 

A rising junior and history major at the University of Pennsylvania, Doolittle is working as an intern at the Philadelphia History Museum where her duties include conducting research about the museum itself along with historical places and events across the City of Philadelphia, in order to develop blog-like posts for the museum’s website and social media outlets. 

During the course of her internship, Doolittle was able to scour the Franklin Institute’s archival materials to find information about the gas lamps outside of the building. The Philadelphia History Museum’s building once housed the Institute before it moved to its current location on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 

“We ended up looking through the minutes from the Franklin Institute’s board meetings from the 1800s. Through that, we were able to piece together a story about the lamp posts outside of the building,” Doolittle says. “That was so wild to me, because I spent hours sifting through handwritten notes that were hard to read, but I was able to help discover the history of these lamp posts.” 

She says that experience alone has taught her the value of primary resources and how to effectively use them. 

Her internship has also given Doolittle new opportunities to teach young learners in ways that are interesting and engaging. 

“My favorite thing is when kids in large groups come into the museum,” she says. “I’ve been a camp counselor for the past three summers, so hanging out with kids is really where I am most comfortable.” 

In addition to helping with publicity and community engagement, she also assists with event planning, such as a garden party for the Young Friends of the Philadelphia History Museum and a variety of other tasks to support its operations. 

“One of the coolest things that I did was help with the installation of a new exhibit in the Community History Gallery,” Doolittle says. “It changes about every six to eight months and displays the history and culture of a place or group in Philadelphia.” 

The new exhibit that Doolittle helped to install is focused on Fabric Row, a region of South Philadelphia near 4th Street, where many Jewish immigrants sold textiles. 

During the regular academic year, Doolittle is involved in multiple activities. 

She volunteers as one of the two vice presidents of training for the Reach-A-Peer Helpline, an anonymous peer-to-peer phone support hotline, and she serves as the education chair for Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention, or ASAP. 

“These are important elements of my Penn experience because they allow me to give back to the community in tangible and important ways,” she says. “They’re doing amazing things on campus.” 

As a Philadelphia native and third-generation Penn student, she says exploring the city is an essential part of the undergraduate experience. 

“There are so many interesting things to do and admission deals for students in the city,” Doolittle says. “Penn students should invest the time to get to know the city in which they’re spending four years.” 

Her mother graduated from the School of Social Policy & Practice and is now a social worker at the Maternity Care Coalition. Her grandfather is a two-time alumnus, earning both undergrad and law degrees. 

The Summer Humanities Internship Program is a 10-year collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships to expand the number of funded summer internships.