Humanities EXCEL Fellows build community through hands-on Internships
At UC Santa Cruz, the Humanities EXCEL Program is helping Humanities undergraduates discover new pathways to professional growth and connect to local communities through paid internships.
By Dan White
By partnering with nonprofits from the Museum of Art and History to Black Surf Santa Cruz (BSSC), students are translating classroom lessons into community impact, developing professional networks, and discovering new confidence in their abilities.
Three interns were given disposable cameras to preserve and share their experiences of connection, creativity, and purpose.
Alongside these images, their words reveal the profound ways in which hands-on work in the humanities has shaped their education at UC Santa Cruz while building bridges to rewarding careers.
Morgan Woodley: Building Community through Art at the MAH
At the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH), senior Morgan Woodley (history of art and visual culture major, history minor) has learned what it means to bring art and people together. As the museum’s assistant programs coordinator, Woodley helps create the events that connect the MAH to the Santa Cruz community.
Woodley helps plan and coordinate events. This year, she is in charge of planning activities for First Wednesdays at the Downtown Farmers Market and First Fridays at the Museum. Woodley’s favorite memory was setting up for the Día de los Muertos Drag Show on Oct. 25 at the MAH.
Through her internship, Woodley said she’s discovered something deeper about herself.
“Now I feel more confident in myself when I’m involved with the community,” Woodley said. “My mentors create an encouraging and exciting environment where I feel comfortable asking questions and trying new tasks and skills at the museum.”
Jadyn-Kathleen Polk: Finding Community on the Waves
For Jadyn-Kathleen Polk, a third-year critical race and ethnic studies major, interning with Black Surf Santa Cruz meant discovering a community built around both surfboards and social change. As a community outreach Intern, she’s worked closely with mentors Esabella Bonner and Christina Funck to make surfing more accessible for BIPOC communities.
One of Polk’s most cherished photos captures a quiet, powerful moment: a father and his young child playing together as the sun set on the beach. The picture captures a moment of quiet joy—sand between Polk’s toes, and a sense of “finding warmth in like-minded, playful spirits.”
With mentorship, encouragement, and gear—Black Surf Santa Cruz gave Polk her first wetsuit—she found herself welcomed into a new community:
“I didn’t realize that surfers were a community of people who look out for each other, but they definitely do!”
Michael Shires: Strengthening Community through Food Security
As a marketing and development intern at Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, literature major Michael Shires has seen firsthand how communication and logistics come together to fight food insecurity throughout the region.
Shires tracks donations, works on packaging and distributing posters, and attends fundraising events. Along the way, he’s getting certified in customer relationship management systems and has come to understand the behind-the-scenes efforts that keep a food bank running.
Shires’s snapshot, taken at a Second Harvest fundraiser, shows him with his mentor, Dawn, and colleague, Christy—three people representing just a fraction of a much larger effort. The image captures both the close teamwork that defines his daily experience and the vast scale of the organization’s impact, Shires said. “It is continuously rewarding to see how my work and the work of my team make a real change in the community,” Shires said.
The Humanities EXCEL program is an experiential learning cohort program where fellows hold paid internships with off-campus community partner organizations. Learn more about the program here. The program is led by the Humanities Division with strategic support from The Humanities Institute and funded by the Mellon Foundation, The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, the Humanities Division, The Humanities Institute, and private donors.
Original Link: https://news.ucsc.edu/2025/11/humanities-excel-fellows-build-community-through-hands-on-internships/
The banner image photo collage is made up of snapshots by Humanities EXCEL interns. Left:. Jadyn-Kathleen Polk (CRES major) shares photos as a community outreach intern at Black Surf Santa Cruz. Top right: Morgan Woodley (history of art and visual culture major and history minor) showcases her fellowship as assistant programs coordinator at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. Bottom right: Michael Shires (literature major and education minor) shares photos as a marketing and development intern at Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County.