Student’s Internship Readies Her to Be a Better Teacher
Nicole Uttaro learned skills for teaching right in her hometown
Nicole Uttaro returned to Sacred Heart University to start her senior year after completing a summer internship that prepared her to be a better history teacher. With the help of her professors at SHU, Uttaro had the opportunity to volunteer for three months at Mineola Historical Society, right in her New York hometown.
“I’ve grown up there my whole life, and I never knew about the historical society before. There’s so much information there and so much history,” said Uttaro. “I had no idea until I started my internship.”
Uttaro’s many history courses at SHU helped spark her interest in and appreciation for community stories, history preservation and public exhibits. Specifically, the skills in research and writing she acquired at SHU proved to be part of an important foundation for her intern work. And in turn, Uttaro made an impact at the historical society.
“She seemed like she not only learned from the experience, but she actually made a difference,” said Kelly Marino, history lecturer at SHU and advocate for Uttaro’s impressive work-ethic.
During Uttaro’s internship, she contributed to exhibits, research and archival work. The internship enabled her to learn more about her personal history and the history of her hometown, in addition to building key skills used by professionals in the field.
According to her “daily log,” which Uttaro kept throughout her internship, she catalogued important files, composed captions for historical photographs and updated the society’s online record system.
“Nicole is conscientious, hardworking and dedicated,” Marino said. “I was impressed by how comprehensive her internship was.”
In preparation for her master’s degree in education, which Uttaro plans to complete at SHU, she is ready to use her experience at the historical society to her advantage.
“Nicole’s experiences will make her a stronger social studies teacher, as state and local history remain important focal points in the current curriculum,” said Marino. “She will also be better able to advise students who are interested in what historians do outside teaching.”
As the youngest one working at the historical society, Uttaro credits a lot of her newfound knowledge to the experienced team that worked alongside her. “They taught me so much. Not just organizing and documenting, but they shared all their findings with me,” she said.
Thankful to SHU and the historical society for her internship, Uttaro looks forward to exercising her new skills in the future.
“This whole experience has helped me the most in everyday life, especially working with different people,” said Uttaro. “They taught me more than just being a history major with archival work; they included me in audits, criminal justice cases and exciting things on the business side. My supervisors at the historical society inspired me to learn more about local history and I developed a passion and excitement upon discovering new elements of our history.”
Visit the history program webpage to learn more about what it offers.
Pictured: Nicole Uttaro with Mineola Historical Society Treasurer Mike Marinak, left, and President Tom Murtha