KING CITY — High school and college interns with the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum will travel to Washington, D.C., this winter through a partnership with Monterey County District 3 Supervisor Chris Lopez.
The trip expands the museum’s internship program, which has traditionally included educational travel to San Francisco to expose students to museums, history, culture and public service.
Past trips have taken interns to destinations including the California Academy of Sciences, the Legion of Honor, Alcatraz Island and the Jeremiah O’Brien Liberty Ship. Participants have also ridden San Francisco’s historic cable cars, explored Chinatown and experienced neighborhoods representing cultures from around the world.
According to MCARLM, many students in the internship program first visited the museum through school field trips, while others began as volunteers before becoming interns. For many, exposure to museums has been limited to small community museums throughout rural Monterey County.
This year, interns will travel beyond California for the first time, visiting Smithsonian museums, national monuments, memorials and historic sites while gaining firsthand exposure to the nation’s history, government and cultural institutions.
“This opportunity represents so much more than a trip,” said Teri Storelli, executive director of the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum. “For many of our interns, this will be their first time on an airplane, their first time traveling across the country, and even their first opportunity to see snow.”
Storelli said the experience will also give students the chance to visit “some of the finest museums, collections and educational institutions in the world firsthand.”
“Experiences like these have the power to expand horizons, inspire future careers and help young people see possibilities for themselves that they may never have imagined before,” she added.
Lopez called the partnership an investment in young people, particularly those from rural communities.
“Many of these students come from rural communities where opportunities to travel and experience places like Washington, D.C., may seem out of reach,” Lopez said. “This partnership with MCARLM is about expanding horizons, creating new possibilities and helping our youth see themselves as future leaders, educators, public servants and changemakers.”
He added, “I am proud to support a program that gives students the opportunity to experience our nation’s history firsthand and return home inspired to make a difference in their own communities.”
The internship program serves students from communities throughout South Monterey County, providing hands-on opportunities to explore history, agriculture, museum studies, public speaking, collections management, research and community engagement. According to MCARLM, the Washington, D.C., experience will build on those lessons while exposing participants to world-class museums and historic sites.
Storelli noted that community support helps fund educational opportunities for local students.
“Every membership, event ticket, sponsorship and donation helps us invest in local youth,” she said. “Whether it’s a free field trip for a fourth-grade class or a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Washington, D.C., community support helps us open doors for young people throughout Monterey County.”
For more information about the museum, membership opportunities, volunteer programs and upcoming events, visit MCARLM.org or follow the museum on social media.
