"A New Hope"

Hello, reader! This semester has flown by, and suddenly, I find myself penning my last post detailing the happenings of this whirlwind of an internship. On Monday and Wednesday, I met with my students to assess their progress on their Internship Showcase presentations. Then, we rehearsed as a team! Everyone did an amazing job, and we successfully completed several practice runs of our presentations.

At the museum on Thursday, I ran into Judy Ustler Babb again, who had brought two of her binders to show me, one of which was partially scanned by UCF in Fall 2024. Judy and I spent hours reviewing the results of a project spanning three decades, reminiscing about Ustler family members, and verifying information for the Ustler family collection that I was assigned this semester. Talking to Judy is always a treat, and I truly believe that UCF should record an oral history with her in the future. Judy wants to talk about her grandfather, Harry John Ustler, who founded the foliage industry in Apopka, now known as "The Fern City" thanks to his labor.

I also saw Ms. Boykin and presented her with a personal project I had planned for a while now. After looking through her two dedicated Gladden photo albums, I felt compelled to start illustrating the individual behind the objects I have been so immersed in. Soon, an idea became a reality! This was a complete surprise to Ms. Boykin, and I wanted her to know how grateful I was for her allowing me to begin working on such a fantastic array of objects. The portrait of Michael Gladden Jr. will now be on display at the Museum of the Apopkans. In addition to serving as a museum piece, I hope to include this graphic for a potential poster presentation with the Florida Historical Society. Next week, I plan on drafting a project proposal- fingers crossed! 

So the end has arrived! This Friday, August 1st, I had the honor of presenting alongside my students as “Team Metadata.” I can’t tell you how proud I am of them for the work they’ve completed this semester and their incredible performance today, not to mention how honored I am to have been their team lead. The Internship Showcase went fabulously. I hope I did well, considering that this was my first-ever live presentation. If I haven’t said it enough, I am so grateful to my supervisors, Sarah Boye, Jessie Oldham, and Dr. Scot French, for allowing me this opportunity to find my way in this field. 

Beyond this internship, I will continue my work on the Gladden Collection and stay involved with the Public History Department. I will be joining Sarah Boye on Monday, August 4th, for an oral history and object scanning event with descendants of Joseph Bumby, the famed Orlando pioneer. I can only eagerly anticipate what the future holds, now that this life-changing internship has come to a close. Semper gumby, reader- this isn’t the last time you’ll hear from me!