Meet our new intern: Courtney!

Hello, my name is Courtney Crum. I am a junior at Flagler College in St. Augustine, dual majoring in History and Public History with a minor in Anthropology.  I have been in love with history since I was a little girl. For as long as I can remember, every summer my mother, grandmother and I would head out on a “Family Adventure.” I never knew the destination ahead of time, and many times, thanks to connecting flights or odd names (try figuring out LaGuardia at seven years old!), I would not know where we were going until we actually reached our destination. These adventures always managed to include National Parks and Historic Sites. National Historic Sites are always my favorite places to go on our adventures. Instead of being in a classroom listening to a lecture, you are actually standing where battles took place, get to see and sometimes touch artifacts that were recovered after hundreds of years, and get to learn facts that are never in the textbooks in school. Our adventures have allowed me to learn about different cultures of people and the way they live their lives. I have also had the opportunity to learn about many important people, and how they may have changed the world, for better or for worse. I am not certain which came first, my family adventures or my love of history, or if they blossomed together.

            Thus far in my college career, I have been fortunate enough to be involved in many experiences in the fields of archaeology and history, often made more unique and fascinating, due to them taking place in St. Augustine. The summer following the completion of my freshmen year, I took part in an archaeological field school with Dr. Bill Locascio and Flagler College, which took place at the site of the former Sabate House in St. Augustine. This summer I was lucky enough to volunteer at the archaeological dig at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, led by Dr. Kathleen Deagan. I have also volunteered at the Florida Agricultural Museum summer camps the past two years, where I was able to create mini archaeological digs as one of the activities for the campers.

I am currently the president of the Flagler College Cultural Anthropology Club, a member of the Archaeology Club, as well as the Historian for the Flagler S.P.I.R.I.T. club, a performance based club which interprets songs in American Sign Language club and performs them at various events around campus as well as elementary schools around St. Augustine.

Through my internship with FPAN, I hope to continue to improve upon my interactions with the public and increase my knowledge regarding what goes on behind the scenes in preparation for events.

Words and photo by Courtney Crum, FPAN Staff