Compensation: $15/hour | Commitment: 10 hours/week from June 2024 - April 2025 | Application Deadline: Friday, April 19, 2024

Please read the full announcement for details, including a monthly calendar, here: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/higher-education

Do you want to...
• Help increase awareness of The HistoryMakers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive (www.thehistorymakers.org), across your college or university?
• Effectively take others inside the lives of black people, further cultural understanding on your campus, and spread the word about a unique digital archive housed permanently at the Library of Congress?

The HistoryMakers is committed to preserving, developing, and providing easy access to its internationally-recognized archival collection of thousands of African American video oral histories from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. It is looking for a passionate and highly motivated student ambassador at each of our subscribing institutions to help do so. (For a complete list of subscribing institutions, see this page:  https://www.thehistorymakers.org/institutional-maker.)

This paid position provides a unique opportunity to:
• Learn valuable research, writing, presentation, and communications skills;
• Engage with an innovative non-profit;
• Promote the one-of-a-kind digital archive for effective use in and outside of the classroom (in-person, hybrid, or virtual); and
• Receive on-the-job training that will make you more attractive to employers.

Eligibility:

For you to become one of our student ambassadors:
1. MANDATORY: Your college or university must subscribe to The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. For a complete list of subscribing institutions, see “Subscribing Institutions” here:  https://www.thehistorymakers.org/institutional-maker.

2. MANDATORY: Every applicant must identify a faculty or staff member (e.g., professor, librarian, cultural center employee) on their campus who has agreed to supervise their work for the duration of the program (including participation in monthly 1-hour supervisor meetings with The HistoryMakers) and include their contact information. 

3.  You must be a rising sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student and able to commit to 10 hours per week (including five hours per week doing in-depth exploration of The HistoryMakers Digital Archive) from June 2024 through April 2025 (no meetings during holidays). You will be expected to document your hours, submit weekly progress reports, and participate in weekly conference calls.

4. You must commit to participating in weekly Zoom calls during the school year;

5. You must write a weekly blog post based on research using The HistoryMakers Digital Archive; 

6. You must develop in-person and video/Zoom presentations and programs to show faculty, students, and others how to use The HistoryMakers Digital Archive;

7. You must adhere to the  Student Ambassador code of ethics.

Preferred Skills:

Strong applicants possess:
• A love of writing and of history;
• Strong research, writing, presentation, and communications skills;
• Tech-savviness and strong administrative and organizational skills;
• The ability to work independently and be self-motivated;
• A high degree of professionalism and a sense of ethics;
• Leadership skills and a passion for building and growing relationships.

Compensation:

You will be paid $15 per hour of documented work.  

Experience:

Every student ambassador will gain:
• Familiarity with e-resources and expertise with The HistoryMakers Digital Archive;
• Exposure to African American subject matter and leadership;
• Increased research, writing, administrative, public speaking, and presentation skills;
• Opportunities to interact professionally with students and faculty.

Application Instructions:

If you are interested in applying, you will be prompted to:
• Upload your resume/CV with a copy of your unofficial transcript(s);
• Include a 500-word, single-spaced essay on why you should be chosen to serve as The HistoryMakers Student Ambassador for your college or university and how you can meet and/or exceed the requirements stated. Please be specific.
• Include a 500-word, single-spaced essay that describes how you found yourself in the Digital Archive as well as your process (please see more information here.)
• List the contact information (name, title, department/affiliation, email address, and phone number) of the faculty or staff member who has agreed to supervise your work for the duration of the program.
• Complete a typing speed test and a Microsoft Excel test.

For more information, visit The HistoryMakers website at www.thehistorymakers.org.
 
For inquiries, please contact Chris Cortese at cc@thehistorymakers.org or 312-674-1900 ext. 516.