Recruitment

Recommend a Student

We are writing to ask for your help identifying Oklahoma high school students who would be a good fit for a paid, for-credit University of Oklahoma internship this summer. The internship will teach no more than fifteen (15) students about archaeology, Native American boarding schools and ways that archaeology can help reveal unique information about boarding schools in and beyond Oklahoma. The internship starts from the premise that archaeology can be a powerful tool for revealing difficult truths about historic events, and that it can help communities build more equitable futures. The internship does not require a final paper; instead, students engage their creativity to design the annual “Oklahoma Archaeology Month” poster, which will be distributed statewide two months after the internship ends.

Students are not expected to have any previous background in archaeology. Instead, we seek students who are: 

• Members of Native American tribes and/or other communities historically underrepresented in archaeology (including but not limited to, for example, African American, Asian American, Latino American, and LGBTQ+ communities) 

• Rising high school juniors or seniors 

• Available to participate in the internship June 10 - August 2 (three 1.5-hour blocks/week virtually, on a schedule that best accommodates interns’ other commitments, plus two in-person field trips; one overnight)

• Intellectually curious 

• Creative (in thought and/or the fine and performing arts) 

• Socially conscious 

Interns will receive: 

• OU course credit that can be applied to an OU education or transferred to any other college to which they later matriculate

• Expense-paid field trips, including an overnight stay at OU

• A $500 stipend upon successful completion of the internship

 Interns will:

• Learn archeological basics, such as: What is archaeology? How do archaeologists collect data? How can archaeology serve contemporary community members? What sort of employment opportunities exist in archaeology (hint:  lots!)

• Learn about the history of the Native American boarding schools in Oklahoma and how archaeologists study the material remains of boarding schools.

• Meet archaeologists, historians, and others working on a variety of problems and using many different methods.

• Learn to effectively communicate a message to public audiences through visual and other creative media.

• Apply what they learn by developing a design for the 2023 Oklahoma Archaeology Month poster (all students will be invited to share their designs in a virtual exhibit and one student will be selected to work with a graphic designer to create the final poster).

• Learn how archaeology can make a political and social impact.

• Receive mentoring after their internship that can carry them to and through college, if they wish 

Nomination and selection process: