Over the past three summers, Fort Ticonderoga has provided twelve Graduate Fellowships 
to students from across the country. The Edward W. Pell Graduate Fellowships provide aspiring museum professionals an opportunity to work with our staff and our world-class collections. The two-month fellowships provide students with a wide range of experiences as well as the chance to work and own a specific project to support future exhibitions and programs.
“I could not have asked for a better experience this summer,” said 2017 Research Fellow Theresa Ball from the University of Washington. “It is rare to find an institution as remarkably driven and exceptionally innovative as Fort Ticonderoga. In my time here I have been encouraged to challenge myself and allowed the freedom to make projects my own while also receiving the guidance and support necessary to succeed.”
“The Edward W. Pell Fellowship was a career-building experience that went beyond my expectations,” adds 2017 Collections Fellow Elizabeth Beaudoin from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “The positive, driven culture at Fort Ticonderoga is contagious.”
Kathryn Kaslow, the 2017 Education Fellow from the University of South Carolina, wrote the following:
In the summer of 2017, I had the opportunity to serve as Fort Ticonderoga’s Education Fellow. My master’s program in public history required me to complete a 145-hour internship, and I couldn’t just sit behind a visitor services desk all day; I needed to have an actual product to present at the end of it. Fort Ticonderoga’s two-month fellowship program, where graduate students work on specific projects that are valuable to the institution’s growth and public outreach, presented the perfect opportunity. It allowed me to pursue my interest in early American history and gain experience in museum education, an area of the museum field that I hadn’t yet had the chance to work in.
During my fellowship, I led a session of Fort Ticonderoga’s annual week-long teacher institute and developed a corresponding lesson plan to put up on the Fort Ticonderoga website. In addition to writing curriculum, which I had never done before, I was able to put my background in interpretation to good use. I developed some materials for the school and youth program coordinator to use while she trains her staff in how to more effectively engage children and other visitors who are not necessarily familiar with or interested in military history. By assisting my supervisor with some of his daily tasks, lending a helping hand during special events, and conversing with the other graduate fellows about their projects in collections and exhibit development, I immersed myself in the day-to-day life of the education department while gaining an understanding of how my work complemented that of staff members in other departments.
Finally, the close-knit community at Fort Ticonderoga helped make the summer fellowship very memorable. From field trips and exploring the Adirondacks to barbecues and beach days, there was never a dull moment! I was thankful for the opportunity to get to know the other graduate fellows and coworkers on a personal as well as a professional level, and the energetic, forward-thinking atmosphere at Fort Ticonderoga is contagious. This made going into work each day a pleasure. As August rolled around, I was sad to see it come to an end!
My summer at Fort Ticonderoga was an enriching and rewarding experience. For both professional growth and long-lasting memories, Fort Ticonderoga is the place to be.
Fort Ticonderoga is currently accepting applications for its 2018 Edward W. Pell Graduate Fellowships. We are seeking graduate students with experience in museum studies, art history, decorative arts, museum education, public history, history, American studies, or military history who are self-motivated and able to work independently as well as contribute to a dedicated team to create and develop groundbreaking exhibitions and programs for a diverse audience.
If you know of a graduate student who you think might be a good fit with our program, please encourage him/her to consider applying. Additional information about the 2018 Edward W. Pell Graduate Fellowships is available at www.fortticonderoga.org/education/university-partnerships.