17 May Welcome! Introduction: Kristian Enbysk

Hello all and welcome to my to first blog post of the summer! My name is Kristian Enbysk and I will be the Archives Intern at Homestead National Monument of America near Beatrice, Nebraska. I am beyond grateful for the extraordinary opportunity to learn, participate, and represent my community. A little about myself – I’m 22 and from Tom Bean, Texas, a small rural town about an hour north of Dallas. I am currently a first-generation student and junior at the University of North Texas studying History with a minor in Mexican American Studies. I have always been interested in history (as the saying goes, “history is made everyday and we are living history”) because I find the field important to understanding ourselves as a species throughout time. More specifically, uncovering and preserving cultures and historical moments we can look back on and learn from.

I was born in the country of Panamá; my mother and father met during his time in the U.S. military service and I came to Texas as an infant. Although I was not raised in Panamá, I was emerged into the culture my whole life thanks to my mother. Growing up, I began to embrace my heritage and learned that differences make you unique!

Fast forward to this opportunity, I came across this program while I was scrolling the internet one day back in my high school days. I made it a goal of mine to be apart of this program in the future because I believe it will be a great resource, but also an unforgettable experience. Especially since I have always been intrigued with the National Park Service and all that they do to preserve our nation’s valuable locations and treasures, naturally and historically. What I am looking forward to this summer is to visit, research, and work in an environment I never been to and meeting new people. Yes, I come from a small town similar to where I will be going, but to get an introduction into my potential career goals makes this experience sweeter. I excited to get to work while having fun doing it and hope you all join me in experiencing this journey through these blog post! Off to Nebraska!