Meet Our 2025 Humanities Interns!
The Humanities Internship at the National Willa Cather Center offers an experiential learning opportunity for an advanced undergraduate (completed at least forty credit hours) or a graduate student in the humanities at the University of Nebraska (UNL, UNK, or UNO). It is funded through a collaboration between the University of Nebraska and the National Willa Cather Center.
JAMIE ADAM was raised on a farm outside of Ravenna, Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska Kearney with B.A.s in English and history. She is pursuing work in museums and archival research and would like to work toward a career in the publishing field as a copyeditor.
Jamie says, "I can usually be found working on my latest quilt with my cat lying on any fabric I have out, reading a book, playing the piano, or working on whatever craft project I have yet to finish. I am most excited about working in an archive/museum and expanding my knowledge of Nebraska history. I have always loved living in Nebraska, and I want to learn as much as I can about the state that I adore.
Willa Cather is an author who was essentially forced upon me by my mom (who enjoys reading her works). She told me to read O Pioneers!, and I read it in a day just to spite her. So, because my mom told me to read something outside of my normal book genres, I immediately said I didn’t like it."
"After reading the short story “Neighbor Rosicky” in a Women’s Literature college class, I realized her writing is not as bad as I convinced myself it was, and that I should give it another chance. Then, when I stumbled upon this internship, I knew I had to give it a chance and threw my hat into the ring. I was very happy to receive the call that I got the internship!" —Jamie Adam
JORDAN HARPER is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with majors in English and ethnic studies and minors in classics and digital humanities. Although her family is not originally from Nebraska, she's evolved into a devoted Nebraska fan, taking up jobs such as working in the archives at Nebraska Public Media or working as an orientation leader on campus at UNL, as well as journeying to central Nebraska each spring to go Sandhill Crane watching.
"Interning at the National Willa Cather Center seemed like the natural next step in order to become the ultimate Nebraska nerd, " Jordan said.
"These roles and hobbies have deepened my passion for the preservation of state and local history and have empowered me to be an advocate of the fact that there truly is no place like Nebraska," Jordan said. "Cather's writings also mirror this sentiment, which is what originally drew me into the world of Willa's literature."
"I first read My Ántonia in high school, but rereading this book in the very town it was based on felt like a magical step into history." —Jordan Harper
Jordan is spending most of her free time while in Red Cloud this summer reading or attempting to have conversations with the ghost of Willa Cather (an unsuccessful endeavor so far). At UNL, Jordan also works on a digital archive project centered on the victorian-era columnist Fanny Fern and serves as the president of Boots & Cats, a collegiate a cappella group. Jordan hopes to pursue a career in the archives field and plans to apply to masters programs in library and information science in the fall. She plans to bring with her the various experiences she's had working at UNL—in addition to everything she is learning working at the Cather Center—in order to further the goal of making history accessible to all.
To learn more about our Humanities Intern program, read here or contact Rachel Olson, director of education and engagement, at rolson@willacather.org • The next application process will take place in Spring 2026.