26 May A New Exhibit for the Liberty Bell Center
Hi everyone! My name is Karen Fuentes and this summer I will be working at Independence National Historical Park as an education and interpretation intern. I am from Bakersfield, California, and I have never been to the East Coast. It has been a unique experience flying out and living here in Philadelphia. I look forward to spending my summer here as I help with the new Junior Ranger program for the park. If you’ve never heard of Independence NHP, then maybe you’ve heard about the Liberty Bell or perhaps have heard of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. Personally, this is my favorite historical era and to be working here and seeing this place almost every day is only one amazing aspect of this internship.
It is the end of my first week and it has been busy with lots of walking, lots of learning, and a lot of stairs. However, today was the opening of a new exhibit in the Liberty Bell center that will be here all summer (just in case you need another reason to come to Independence). For the past few months, a local elementary school has had their fourth graders work with a park ranger to develop this exhibit that focuses on the topic of liberty and what that means.
The title of their exhibit is Proclaim Liberty, and it ties in so well with the Junior Ranger program that looks at the topics of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It was wonderful to be able to be there when the exhibit opened and to see how excited these students were to have their work on display. I think it was an especially amazing experience because it’s also my birthday and it was a very unique experience to have fourth graders (loudly) sing happy birthday to me after the opening.
So far I have seen so many aspects of what goes on behind the scenes of a national park and how many people and rangers it takes to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience. If there’s one thing that I have learned throughout this week, it is that the purpose of the national parks is to really interact with the public and to share with them the knowledge and passion that we have for the parks. So, I am very excited to continue to see this every day of my work for the National Parks and to see how my project adds to the visitor experience. Until I can share next week’s experiences, I’ll leave you with this iconic quote.
“Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.”
Until Next Time!
No Comments