Native American Honors Internships

Paid Native American internship opportunities in Durango, Colorado

The Center of Southwest Studies, a core academic program of Fort Lewis College, collects and disseminates information about the Southwest.  The Center functions as a museum, library, and archives, and as a forum for public programming, to enhance people’s understanding of the Greater Southwest.

The Center's Native American Honors Internships program has provided select Native students with quality, mentored paid internships in archives, librarianship, museum curatorship, and historic preservation.  Interns are based at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

Internship categories:

Category 1: Professional Internship.  The Center has a position available for 2007/08 -- the final professional internship in this program -- for one nine-month internship, 35 hours per week, in archives.  Stipend: $2,000/month.  The Professional Intern is considered an exempt staff employee of the college and works under an employment contract for his/her services.  This intern receives health insurance benefits and retirement benefits and accrues leave at the rate of 16 hours per month for annual leave and 10 hours per month sick leave.  This intern is someone who has a serious interest in archives as a career, and who has completed a bachelor’s degree or is taking a leave from academic studies or is using this experience towards academic credit in an approved course of study relating to archival work.

Category 2: Fort Lewis College Part-time Student Internship.  These internships have now ended, except for a modified nine-month internship in librarianship for 2007/08 that pays $9 - $13/hr., depending on experience, educational status, and/or qualifications.  The student internships provided experience for academic credit, from one to nine credit hours per semester, depending on academic schedule and approved hours.  Student participation of 45 hours per credit hour was required.  Students were paid on an hourly basis, at $7.50 to $9.00 per hour depending on experience and qualifications.  These student internships were renewable (by application each time) for up to a maximum total of 9 credit hours.

Requirements for all internship categories: 

• Must be an enrolled tribal member of a U.S. federally recognized tribe; this includes Native Hawaiians.  This is established by the applicant's furnishing the Center of Southwest Studies with either a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) or a tribal enrollment card.
• Must have successfully completed 30 undergraduate academic credits.
• GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• When taking the internship experience for academic credit, must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA during the internship period.

Preference is given to applicants with previous related experience and/or course work in the area of the internship.

To apply:
Access the application form by opening this pdf file: NAInternApp2007Fall.pdf

To obtain a copy of the application form by mail, and to submit the completed application package:

Administrative Assistant
Center of Southwest Studies
Fort Lewis College
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, Colorado  81301

Phone:  (970) 247-7456; FAX:  (970) 247-7422; Email: silversmith_e@fortlewis.edu

Application package must include:

1. Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) or tribal membership card.
2. Completed application form.
3. Essay.
4. College transcript.
5. Resume.
6. Contact information re: two letters of reference (from instructors, supervisors, and/or mentors).

Incomplete applications will not be considered.  To submit an application, please mail or hand-deliver (Room 130) the application package to the Center of Southwest Studies  at the address noted just above.

Application dates/ Selection process:  The Center of Southwest Studies Intern Advisory Committee reviews all complete applications and recommends awards for internships.  Review will begin immediately following the deadline (9/21/07), and will continue as long as necessary.  For best consideration, submit all of your application materials by the deadline.  Acceptance notification will be sent within 10 days of the deadline or of application submittal date (whichever is later).

Native American Honors Interns at the Center of Southwest Studies
The Center's interns represent the following 20 tribal affiliations:

Blackfoot
Cherokee
Choctaw
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Eastern Shawnee, Sac-N-Fox
Eastern Shoshone
Isleta Pueblo
Jemez Pueblo
Jicarilla Apache
Kikapoo Tribe of Kansas
Lakota
Navajo
Northern Ute
Oneida of Wisconsin
Plains Ojibwe/Metís
Pueblo of Laguna
San Juan Pueblo
Sitka Tribe of Alaska
Southern Ute
Turtle Mountain Chippewa/Metís
White Mountain Apache

Interns, listed by school year, then alphabetically:

Professional interns, 2006-07:
Patrick Cruz (museum)
Laura Elliff (curatorial assistant)
Jerrid Miller (archives)
Venaya Yazzie (library)

Professional interns, 2005-06:
Linda Baker (archives)
Patrick Cruz (museum)
Laura Elliff (curatorial assistant)
Roger Willie (consultant)

Professional interns, 2004-05:
Laura Elliff, Choctaw (museum)
Sampson Sage (archives)
Roger Willie (historic preservation)

Student interns, 2004-05:
Melissa Benallie (archives)
Rozana Clah (library)
Alisha Madalena (library)
Victor Pascual (museum)
Lloyd Poncho (historic preservation / library)
Tina Pusley (museum)
Mike Quiver (library)
Tia Semallie (museum)
Brad Stapleton (archives)
Noraleen Tafoya (archives)
Crystal Wabnum (museum)
Tasha Williams (library)


Professional interns, 2003-04:
Mariah Cuch (archives institute)
June I. Degnan (archives institute)
Shaunna Ann Ethelbah (archives institute)
Renee GoKey (museum)
Loretta V. Metoxen (archives institute)
Jesse Renteria (historic preservation)
Robert Yazzie (library)

Student interns, 2003-04:
Justin Bird Bear (news media)
Andrea Godbey (museum)
Larry Gooden (museum)
Alesha Harvey (historic preservation)
Victor Pascual (museum)
Michael Quiver (library)
Jacilyn Snyder  (museum)
Brad Stapleton (archives)
Corina Tsinnajinnie (library)
Tasha Williams (library)
Stephanie Zuni (archives)

If you have additional questions about the Native American internships, please contact the staff person in your area of interest:

Visit the Center of Southwest Studies website: http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu

  About the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College

  Description of Center of Southwest Studies programs

 The Center's affiliations and memberships

  Center of Southwest Studies

Page last modified: September 10, 2007