madisonloveblg

[madisonloveblg]

week 1 & week 2

Hello, hello! Long time no see!

For this new Spring 2025 semester, I have decided to do another public history intership with the Veterans History Project. Working with Jessie, Dr. Gannon, and all of the other team members impacted me greatly, and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to join their team for another semester. The experiences that this program has already given me have been amazing, and I have no doubt that this trend will continue throughout the course of this semester. Due to a bit of a late start to the process of registering for an undergraduate internship, I am going to be combining week 1 and week 2 to get the ball rolling.

Just for a refresher- my name is Madison Love, and I am a History major with a minor in Pre-Law in the Humanities at the University of Central Florida. Outside of school, my hobbies are reading; writing; making, studying, and listening to music; and learning about whatever else I can in my free time. This is actually my final semester here at UCF, and I am both excited and nervous. At the very least, I hope to finish out strong and learn as much as possible for this last few months of undergrad. I hope to be as involved with the VHP as possible during this semester, because I feel like a limitation I experienced last semester was the time I was able to dedicate to show up to important events and get assignments done in a quick manner. Between 5 classes, a bartending job with late hours, the VHP, and relationships to maintain, I was spread quite thin. This semester I've intentionally tried to make my life easier and allow more free time so that I can dedicate more of my full attention to this project, especially considering how much it means to me and it's impact on my community.

As of right now, I have just been mainly focused on some of the work I was unable to complete before the end of last semester, so that I can attend to the new assignments that will be coming my way soon. I hope to be able to meet with the team again soon and provide more updates next week!

[madisonloveblg]

week 13

This week was quite a relaxing one I suppose! I am currently finishing up a veteran's interview who actually is a bit younger in comparison to the other interviews I have been assigned so far. His perspective from being in the Army working through language intelligence was quite unique to hear about. He also had thought to share on more current wars waged by the middle east, in particular the global war on terror. Admittedly, this is the first time I've viewed an interview that discusses present states of affairs within it, and it was quite eye opening. I feel thankful to have been given to opportunity to hear a veteran share his thoughts on conflicts in the context of current events. It makes me think a lot about how as I get more involved and expeirenced, the differences I will see between interviews with older individuals who participated in conflicts prior to the Vietnam War and younger individuals who were in the service after the Vietnam War's conclusion. I find that this interview particularly highlighted the changes that went through society and the US military between the beginning and end of the 20th century.

Aside from working to wrap up this interview's processing, I have still been working on my showcase presentation. I think I've made some key determinations in terms of content, and I am excited to piece it together. I really want to make sure I make my presentation memorable, so that it is clear how impactful this internship has been on my growth as a person, a student, and member of my community. I'd like the audience to feel as invigorated as I do about this cause!

Aside from this, the week has been quite normal. As Veteran's Day just passed this Monday, there was no team meeting. I really have just been trying to hone in on my work and finish out strong despite there being a lot on my plate. I am certainly looking forward to the holidays with my family and friends. :)

[madisonloveblg]

week 12

Happy Veterans Day! Although this post is a bit late for my weekly check in, I have a few updates to share and some thoughts on the importance of Veterans Day.

In terms of updates, they are quite few and far between for this week, as I have been primarily trying to hone in on my work and make good progress through my assignments as the semester ends soon. I will say, I am incredibly sad this semester will end in just a few weeks, because it has been a dream working with this team. I'm hoping I will have the opportunity to continue my involvement once this semester comes to a close. I have also begun working on my project for the end of semester event for interns to showcase their experiences. I am only in the early stages of constructing my presentation, but I am still super excited to be able to talk about how special this experience has been to me not only professionally, but also personally. This program has impacted me in many ways that are profound and I think has even led me to feel closer to finding what I was to do after I finish my bachelors. Deciding my career has always been stressful due to the fact that history is a bit niche in comparison to other fields, but this program has really helped me feel more at ease and closer to figuring it out.

I also have a bit to say about Veterans Day as well. This semester I've been taking an American Military History course and I have found that the combination of this course content alongside this internship has really made me view veterans in a new light. I have, of course, always had a great respect for our veterans and was always taught by my father to thank any service members I encountered for their service to our country. Despite this, my closest relative that served in the military is my grandparents parents, and so my lack of relation made my understandings of the service and veterans quite outside of myself and my realm. With these new understandings of not only our military but the individuals who's experience shape it, my perspective has completely shifted. Now, it IS my business and it IS my cause, just as it is everyone else's. Veterans deserve to be and in fact must be heard, as their experiences and sacrifces shape our communities and our country. Thus, Veterans Day highlights this importance and makes the cause and stories of veterans heard and acknowledged across the country. I will never stop talking about how important programs such as the VHP is to this cause that is just larger than life.

[madisonloveblg]

week 11

This week was an exciting one! I just had the absolute best two weeks within this program and these experiences have definitely solidified my desire to stay connected to and work with these various veterans programs throughout the rest of my UCF experience. As I wrote last week, I had the opportunity to participate in our Story Day at Westminster Towers in Orlando, and I am still blown away by the experience a week later. Robert is still present in my mind and I really have found myself realizing even further how important oral histories are for not only future historians but also for the veterans themselves and their families.

This week, however, I was able to attend the Veteran Voices panel, where Dr. Gannon led a discussion with Captain Shonda Taylor-Boyd and other various participants, like one of the main directors of the VLP, an undergraduate student veteran also involved in the VLP, and a graduate student veteran. The conversation furthered how I felt about the importance of these programs, and I even found myself tearing up at some points with the stories I heard. This program can be so special to veterans, and hearing about the impact of having a community to come home to after service makes me even feel better equipped to offer friends who are veterans support once they make the decision to leave. The service can be so incredibly isolating, and I honestly didn't realize this until I listened to stories from the panelists this. Having a community that welcomes you in, regardless of age, is absolutely essential to making veterans feel like they having the ability to assimilate into civilian society and not feel like they lack a purpose. Overall, it was beautiful to see the community in action and the genuine support that can be found in programs like these.

[madisonloveblg]

week 10

This week was quite the eventful week, especially with the Story Day at Westminster Towers that happened earlier today. I would say it was an incredible experience. Before getting into that, some general updates are pretty sparse since the focus of my week was primarily this event. I have been working on my usual processing work and there was a lack of a team meeting, so I kind of just took the week in preparation for the upcoming event.

First and foremost, I got the opportunity to meet the whole team in person for the first time for this event, since everything I was previously involved in was held on Zoom, and it was so so fun. Everyone was so kind and helpful considering I was feeling a bit nervous about doing well and being beneficial with my time there. I ultimately did a very easy job, where I was teamed up with another team member to be the Zoom operator and monitored the recording of the interview while she asked the veteran questions. My teammate and I in particular got the special opportunity to interview a veteran who was 106 years old! He was in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War, and was incredibly sprightly and descriptive when discussing with us his experiences. He particularly provided a very valuable perspective considering he is a black man, and served in the Navy during a time when the military was entirely segregated. He also discussed with us how he felt about many other topics that affect life in modernity, like considerations surrounding immigration, the potential legalization of marijuana, the wealth and class divide in our local area and else where, and of course racial issues.

The interview went very very well, and despite the interview to be expected to be max an hour and 45 minutes long, it ended up lasting nearly 2 and 1/2 hours! He had so many stories to tell and was so kind and funny. It really made me realize that your outlook and perspective really shapes how you age and how your world outview develops with time. Overall, I feel like this experience not only made me a better person, but also made me appreciate the opportunities I have been given through VHP even more. This internship is really making me consider public history as a career for the foreseeable future, because I am realizing the value of this preservation work as each week goes by.

[madisonloveblg]

week 9

Hello! Please forgive me for the secondary delay. Despite this delay, I still have many updates to share from this crazy week. Clearly, nothing has slowed down since my last weekly update, however this week is ultimately looking up and I have much to share.

In terms of my processing work, I am still chugging along with the interviews and have just finished one of them tonight. I am excited to be moving onto the next, despite how I particularly enjoyed the previous one I was working. He was being interviewed by an interviewer that is very experienced and thorough, and it made for a pleasant listen alongside actual work throughout the transcription. The veterans that got interviewed differ so much by their experiences in the US military, and I haven't even really encountered one who is much similar at all. I'll be sure to update what the next few interviews are looking like. I just love how interesting this work can be- it makes it barely feel like work.

This upcoming Monday is our team meeting, and I am most definitely going to be asking some questions surrounding my role of the upcoming Story Day on Friday that I will be volunteering for. Despite being super excited for the event itself, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling intimidated and a little unsure just because I don't know my level of involvement yet. I do trust that my supervisor and other team members will help me and guide me through my first event of this sort, but it doesn't stop the nerves from coming through. Other than that aforementioned event, the goal for this coming week is to primarily focus on getting a bulk to work done. Although my progress has been good, I can't help but want to improve how I benefit my team and supervisor. Because of this, I am really going to try and prioritize my VHP work even more this week so that I can feel great about the outcome next Friday before the event. Thank you for baring with me throughout these two insane weeks! I can assure that this coming week will be one of structure and progress :)

[madisonloveblg]

week 8

I apologize for the slight delay in my weekly updates! Hurricane Milton hit and needless to say it derailed my plans quite a bit. Our team meeting was not held due to this, and I ended up traveling home to my family in South Florida for the week. Despite this huge delay, I was able to get a bit of work done, and had a meeting today with the team that made up for the missed one previously.

This previous week I most addressed cleaning up the processing I consider to be finished, as they are only awaiting small bios that will be sent over to me from Jessie, my supervisor. Other than that aspect, some folders were labeled and switched around in order to assist Sarah in organizing and distinguishing the processing work that is finished and what still remains to be completed. It seems as though it was a crazy week for everyone on the team, so things are just starting to get back on track.

November is a crazy month for VHP, because it is of course Veterans Month, and things are ramping up as preparations are taking place for a variety of events that will be held then. I am also going to be participating in an event this coming week for Story Day, and I am so so excited. Admittedly, I am feeling a tad intimidated due to not really knowing exactly what work I will be doing, however once information becomes more available to me I am sure that I will feel more prepared to contribute to the event. I am also currently working on another interview for a man who worked in the Army Air Corps, and am almost finished with the interview's transcription.

As the team and especially Jessie grows more busy and likely stressed with everything coming up, I am trying to do my best to be as helpful as possible in order to ensure the success of everything planned for the next two months, and I am looking forward to participating more so with events in the next few weeks!

[madisonloveblg]

week 7

Well, this week has been honestly completely different from week 6. I went from having my lightest workload of the semester to my heaviest this week. School has been crazy, and so this week has consequently been spent fine tuning the interviews transcriptions as much as possible. With this weeks conclusion I plan on moving onto another veteran interview, however it just was not possible this week. At times like this I am feeling very thankful that this internship has allowed me to work on my tasks on my own time as long as it's at a reasonable pace. It has honestly been the key to my success juggling everything I have going on this semester, as I went into this knowing I would definitely be having a lot on my plate.

In terms of my team, it has been quite a sleepy week, with the meeting being pretty uneventful except for a few brief updates. Despite this, there are some really exciting events coming up that will allow me to participate in the project in person, and also meet a good majority of the team in person. October will be such an exciting month! This week also marks the halfway mark, so I submitted my midterm evaluation from Jessie, my supervisor. I am really happy to know that the work I am doing for the project has measured up to expectations set and I am making a positive as a whole. Now that I'm halfway through the semester and reflecting on the work I've been doing so far, I am so happy that this is the organization I get to work with. Before beginning I, of course, knew the important impact the VHP has on the community, however I am even more impressed and humbled by the experience now that I am in it. Time has honestly flown by.

Lastly, I've also found myself making some great connections this week. One of the other interns and I have become good friends considering we are both working with the VHP and also are taking two courses together. This has been one of my first tastes of collaboration with other interns thus far, and it feels really nice! I'm overall really excited to continue working on this project for the rest of the semester and seeing more interviews with veterans as I work though my tasks.

[madisonloveblg]

week 6

Another week in the books! This week I have completed the processing for two veteran's interviews, and wow. I have been blown away. My workload for this week is entirely different from my usual workload every week (in the best way possible) due to hurricane Helene passing through. Due to these adjustments, I got quite a bit of work completed and spent a lot of time on my internship as a whole.

The first of the veteran interviews that I processed this week was perhaps one of the biggest highlights of my week, as his interview and testimony was incredible. Aside from him being a kind soul, the stories he told were the most touching I've seen thus far. The way in which he also told his story with overwhelming honestly and humanity pulled me in. He accounted experiences being involved in the 1948 Berlin Airlift and heartbreaking moments amidst loss where he recalled questioning "did I do the right thing?" after all was said and done. The next interview involved a female veteran who served in the Navy, a branch I generally don't know too much about, and she really illuminated a lot of detail that was unknown to me prior about the Navy. She was incredibly eloquent with the way she spoke, and her descriptions of being a woman in the service offered a perspective I'd never had heard. She was also a hispanic woman reflecting on how the rigidity she experienced as a result of her culture reflected her response to the behavior that was expected of service members within the military. She ultimately thrived in this strict environment with high expectations. Overall, both interviews proved to be very beneficial to work on and listen to, and I look forward to the stories ill be hearing as I continue on through the weeks.

Other than these two interviews actual contents, the meticulous work of actually transcribing has been easier. Luckily, the first interview I completed this week had already been previously worked on, so all I had to do we clean up the edges of it and produce a completed version. The second one, however, hadn't been touched, but actually proved to be very easy to move through. One issue that has been a bit common throughout the interviews I've already processed is that many of these men and women are older, and therefore can lack precise diction. These interviews are also recorded through Zoom, so the audio quality in itself is also already poor. This issue actually wasn't much of one at all, and I felt extremely grateful to not have to go back as much to double-check my accuracy often. Ill see yall next week!

[madisonloveblg]

week 5

This weekend has been quite the eventful one! First and foremost I have continued to work on my ability to time manage and prioritize the work I am doing for my VHP internship week by week, and I would say this week has been successful in that regard.  I have begun working on processing more interviews before my initial attempt, and I am feeling even more prepared to produce results just as good as my first interview.  And, as always, these new interviews I've been working on have highlighted even more insightful figures in American military service and why the work this program does is so important to memory!  Listening to all of these unique stories spanning across different branches and generations makes me feel incredibly lucky.

Other than the continuation of that work, two new developments have come about!  On Monday, I attended my first VHP team meeting and got to talk with everyone else I am working with.  Everyone is absolutely wonderful and it was nice to get a chance to finally introduce myself to the larger collective.  I also enjoyed having the opportunity to see Dr. Gannon again despite it being on Zoom, because I just love her as a person, an educator, and a historical advocate.  Everyone got the chance to share how they have been doing and what they’ve been working on, and we got exciting updates regarding future veteran interviews and other events that will be hosted by the VHP.  Ultimately, I am just grateful to finally be getting into a bit more of a structured routine within my internship.

This morning, I also had my first individual check-in appointment with Jessie.  I received valuable feedback and she told me I actually did an amazing job with my first interview I processed, which really surprised me and made me feel relieved!  Hearing this honestly calmed me a bit and made me feel a whole lot more qualified for the work I am doing this semester, as it was feeling a bit daunting initially as I was first figuring out how to complete my work to the best of my ability.  She also answered some questions I had regarding some little details about the first interview I processed, and I feel even more confident now as I work on the next few interviews.  Overall, I am looking forward to our next team meeting on Monday and the new stories I’ll be listening to along the way!

[madisonloveblg]

week 4

This process is chugging along, however I would be lying if I said it was simple and not without challenges. My focus has still been on the initial few interviews that I was assigned, however the process has definitely been a bit daunting, especially while learning to balance this internship with my job and coursework. The processing procedure is quite the task when it comes down to the transcription, and it has taken me an incredible amount of time to complete a 50 minute interview. I am currently trying to find the most efficient way to complete this work without sacrificing quality, but it seems as though theres just not many ways to do so, and I am not willing to do any work that isn't my best. As of right now, I am working alongside the provided Zoom transcript and the recorded interview itself to create the most accurate transcription. It's also a bit difficult to make the calls for both what stands as a topic worthy of a minute mark, as well as what/how to note things in the transcript that are either very minute or unclear, however I do still think this will still improve over time as I gain both experience and feedback. One of the interviewees I've been working on happens to stutter and repeat words quite a bit, and I have honestly been a little unsure of how much this occurs, because it can seem a bit overkill at times in the transcript. This is of course something that will be brought up in my check in with Jessie, however at this moment I'm making calls based on the examples I have provided to me and then keeping an openness to edit my work as needed to meet the expected standards for this work.

On a lighter note, I still really do love this work. Although I touched on the impact this project has on me last week, I cannot help but discuss it again because of how relevant it has been to my experience thus far. Hearing stories of losing countless friends during and after service is absolutely crushing, but also has really improved my overall understanding of what it means to serve and be a veteran. I also finally have my first meeting with the entire team on Monday, and I am beyond excited!

[madisonloveblg]

week 3

This week was when I got to start learning what work I'm going to be doing more specifically! I met with Jessie on Wednesday and we determined that it would be best that I focus on learning and assisting in the processing stage that occurs when the interview itself is done. After our meeting, I was sent over seven interviews that were previously conducted and got to decide which one I would like to start with. After looking over all of the different veterans that I could choose from, I ultimately went with a veteran who served in the Marine Corps and would later go to Korea and many other destination throughout his service. The veteran was very funny and had so many unique stories to tell about his experience in boot camp as well as his experience of culture shock abroad.  Watching the interview was really interesting because it served as another example to look at in anticipation of later conducting my own interview, and I also really enjoyed storytelling and humor. I honestly feel as though the best part about this internship is the opportunity to have access to incredible stories like his while carrying out my work.

Starting out on the actual process, there is definitely one set back, which is the fact that all of the veterans interviews I got to choose from did not have a Biographical Data Sheet.  This setback is very minor, but it’s worth noting because it’s the first thing I began to try and construct once I started (veteran/civilian, name, birthdate, etc.).  After filling out as much as possible, I began first on the AV Log and Abstract.  The biggest thing I have found a struggle with is constructing the AV Log with minute marks on each topic.  I believe I will get better at this as time goes on, but it is still a bit difficult identifying each and every topic change as they come precisely.  I have yet to begin the transcription process due to recently receiving this information, but I am moving forward with the assumption that I will likely need to be just as focused as I am completing the AV Log so that I can provide an accurate transcription.  

This week I was not able to attend the team meeting as the schedule is being moved around so that everyone can attend, however I am beyond excited to meet everyone else on the project next week when I am at my first group meeting!  I am overall feeling really confident in being able to complete my work well and am just super thrilled that I am enjoying the process so much.

[madisonloveblg]

week 2

This week we went ahead and got the ball rolling! I received all of the training information needed to begin working with the VHP team, as well as the accompanying templates. Through all of these items, I'd say the standout pieces I'd like to focus on is the workshop with Dr. Gannon, the three VHP interviews I received to watch, and the story map of another US Veteran. So far, I'd also like to reflect on the fact that I am also really enjoying writing for this blog, and I look foreward to the eventual opportunity to conduct my own interview with a veteran for the project. My paternal grandparents were life-long journalists and I have honestly enjoying being able to dive into more journalistic historical work alongside more writing for a project like the maintenance of this blog.

As for the workshop, it was very helpful to go through pre-interview, post-interview, and internal procedures that were very detailed and broken down. The workshop led by Dr. Gannon was very clear about the fact that "the goal of oral history is to get their story, not their story mediated through your prejudice." I believe I will find the most difficulty in maintaining objectivity during the interview process, because I think it can be quite easy to fall into different biases or judgements simply by using the wrong words or question structures (despite of course not meaning to). Going through the importance of avoiding things like close-ended questions, leading questions compound questions and loaded question made me already feel more prepared to perpetuate the goal of oral historical work once the opportunity is in front of in the duration of this internship.

It was interesting to be able to see these aspects exemplified within the three interviews I reviewed, especially with each interview involving interviewers who upheld respect, adaptability, empathy and compassion when discussing with interviewees situations that were at times regarding quite difficult and emotional topics. Thanks to this project and my prior experience in learning about oral histories and memory, I am also already a bit familiar with story maps being used in order to tell stories about topics in a fluid and clear way. The story map I received from Jessie about the legacy and memory of Captain Richard S. Roberts supplemented a way for me to visualize the process of constructing a sort of timeline and biography of veterans and their experience, and also is helping me understand more of the goal of veterans memory work and why it is essential to record the stories of veterans that may have never even been told.

Overall, this week was exciting as I start to understand the nature of the work I'll be doing with the VHP team and learn more about the core of this project. I expect next week to contain an exciting progression in what I'll be doing, so stay tuned :).

[madisonloveblg]

week 1

Hello world! This is my first week as an undergraduate public history intern here at UCF and I am beyond excited to get started. My name is Madison Love, and I am currently a junior majoring in History with a minor in Pre-Law in the Humanities. I am generally interested in all scopes of history, however I really do enjoy art history, religious history, and cultural history. Outside of academia I like to direct my focus to my family and friends, nature and it's conservation, music, and literature. I hope to pursue higher education after receiving my BA in UCF either in the form of a masters program or law school.

History and really learning in general was my first true love, and having the opportunity to study history in a university setting has ultimately only made me more happy with the path I've chosen since I began my college career. Numerous faculty members within the UCF history department have inspired me to keep going and stay curious about the past and the present, but I would say the most impactful has been Dr. Barbara Gannon. Dr. Gannon undoubtedly not only solidified my love for history, but also showed me just how impactful I can make my major and the different options I have to use my degree once I have concluded my undergraduate years. Coincidentally, I will be working under Dr. Gannon and Jessie Oldham this semester within the UCF Community Veterans History Project, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to be involved with such an impactful project with such an impactful group of individuals. The project operates in efforts to make American veterans experiences widely available to the public, shedding light on the realities of conflict and stories that otherwise could've been unheard. In the VHP's own words, "The histories of our wars will not be complete without the voices of those who were involved."

I believe through this experience I will find myself inspired and more connected with veterans and their experience both inside and outside my community. I also think I will gain valuable experience in connecting history commonly found in history books with real people and their authentic stories - stories that have shaped and will continue to shape America's history. This will be quite the learning experience with a lot of firsts for me as well. This will serve as both my first internship experience as well as my first experience working with veterans. I do expect there to be some moments where I could feel intimidated or under pressure, but I am feeling completely ready to face those situations head on in order to give this project my all!