Intern Spotlight: Amy Plickebaum

Internship a Gateway to Community Connection

What is it like to be an intern at the Humanities Research Institute (HRI)? We sat down with a few of our student workers to find out. We spoke with Amy Plickebaum (French major), who is the Humanities Gateway Intern in Public Media and Civic Engagement for 2021-2022—an internship offered by HRI in partnership with Illinois Public Media. In addition to helping plan a new film festival, Plickebaum assisted WILL's Book Mentor Project, a local literacy program.

Interview by Sarah Boghossian, HRI Communications and Outreach Intern

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Why did the Humanities Gateway internship interest you? 

I was looking for something different to do on campus, and the job description stuck out to me because I'm a huge proponent of communication. I really liked that this position offered me the opportunity to not only communicate, but to go into the community to talk about these things, to raise awareness and get people involved.

What part of working with the Humanities Gateway internship has been the most exciting for you?

We are creating a film festival on campus, and that's pretty exciting. We're meeting with a lot of different professors on campus, and really trying to get this thing off the ground. We are also working with students and getting them involved. It's inspiring to see all these people come together to talk about the social issue introduced in our film.

How would you describe your work with the Book Mentor Project?

It's cool working with volunteers. I truly get a lot of enjoyment recording them and watching them read these books. It's kind of like they’re reading them to me personally. I know that it is helping the parents, especially during COVID. We all wish that we could be in the classroom helping facilitate these things. I think we're doing what we can to the best of our ability.

How does working with Illinois Public Media fit in and influence what you do on a day-to-day basis?

I'm a French major, and I was one of the founders of the French Club on campus. I wanted to take that initiative because I thought, "We're a huge university and we don't have a French club?" We need this community for people who want to speak and learn in a more relaxed environment. It's similar to what I do at WILL, in a different sense. It's still bringing people together, talking about things, and creating that community.

If you could use one word to describe what you do with Humanities Gateway, what would you say?

Impactful. I can already see the impact that I've had on people. I've been working with the Book Mentor Junior Project, recording people. I work with volunteers, and I can see how much they care about this issue. I can see how much it's actually going to help children. And I can already see the impact of the film festival. Through visiting the classes of the professors that we're working with, I can see how excited and into it they are. I feel like the work that I'm doing is really going to have an impact on the community, not just on campus, but Champaign-Urbana as a whole.