INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Marséja Cardwell (ARAD ’25) ON HER SUMMER INTERNSHIP AT STRATHMORE

This summer, we are excited to spotlight our current student, Marséja Cardwell (ARAD ’25), and celebrate her recent internship as an Education Intern at Strathmore, a renowned arts organization in North Bethesda, MD. Strathmore is known for hosting world-class performances and supporting local talent while making the arts accessible to the community.

Let’s hear more about Marséja’s experience and the fantastic work she has been part of this summer!

Hi Mars! Could you provide an overview of your summer internship and the organization you were working with?

• Hi, I’m Marséja! This summer I was the Education Intern at Strathmore, an arts organization dedicated to organizing world-class performances and highlighting local talent in the North Bethesda, MD, area. Specifically within the Education department, they work heavily to bring the arts to the youth within Montgomery County and fun but often informative, accessible performances to the community that even adults enjoy while still being purposeful about fair and adequate compensation for all artists involved. I can definitely say I lucked out by working with such a lovely team of people who all have done and continue to do stellar work.

What did a typical day look like during your internship?

• A large portion of my internship involved overseeing two high school students from our partnership with the local county’s Summer RISE program which creates space for rising 11th and 12th graders to participate in a career-based learning opportunity during the summer. For a while, some of my larger daily tasks entailed setting up different department shadowings for them to gain an understanding of other departmental functions, organizing time for them to volunteer at Live From the Lawn, an outside arts initiative open to the community, and be a resource for their “Develop an Arts Program” project that they would later present a mock pitch of to the full the staff. While this aspect of my internship was very centered on them, it challenged me to really use what I know about the industry and taught me to be more confident in my leadership capabilities as an arts administrator.
  
• Aside from that, this role was super diverse so there was never really a typical day as there was always something new to do with such a large range of varying events and programs happening throughout the summer. At a minimum, I could expect to be doing research for other projects or initiatives still in the planning stages for the upcoming fall season, or aid in final operational details for monthly community-based outside performances. 

Were there any key projects or assignments during the internship?

• I had the opportunity to work on several really interesting projects! To name a few, I worked on Strathmore’s annual MONUMENTS Exhibition initially created by Australian artist, Craig Walsh, their first Big Bloom Festival in partnership with the local recreation center, Good Hope Neighborhood Rec., and my personal favorite, the ASJF (Arts and Social Justice Fellowship) Showcase that allows for high school students in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia area) to explore the intersection of arts and social justice through performances, gallery visits, thematic workshops with mentors, and to develop final projects exploring issues of importance to them.

Based on your experience, what guidance would you offer our students seeking internships in a related organization?

• Don’t get bogged down in only finding internships on job posting sites. Go to the websites of the organizations that you’re looking at, and check what kinds of jobs or internships they offer. More often than not, you’ll realize more places have internships but they aren’t broadcasting them on platforms like Indeed or LinkedIn.
  
• I also highly recommend staying in touch and reaching out to the connections that you already have. Word of mouth can sometimes be just as effective as a well-thought-out resume and cover letter. Other times, it [connections] can be that extra something that gets your foot in the door.

How did that internship shape your understanding of the arts industry, and what skills have you found most valuable?

• While I already knew it was collaborative in some sense depending on the organization, it really showed me how much communication has to happen for events both small and large to be successful. I learned to be really diligent about my time management especially when having my hand in a number of projects. It’s sometimes very easy to get caught up in a significantly bigger project only to realize that you started to work less on something smaller. It also just confirmed for me how much people are wanting for the arts to be accessible to them and if given the opportunity, they will show up, so that means we as arts administrators have to show up even more in our programming. The organization as a whole and the internship especially really exemplified that the arts can be focused on its community and community members while still being highly successful.

About Marséja Cardwell (they/she)

Marséja Cardwell is a rising arts administrator, music educator, and arts advocate originally from Hagerstown, Maryland. Although born and raised in Maryland, she has spent the last several years in NYC, where she graduated from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at NYU with a BM in Music Education. Shortly after their graduation, they obtained their New York State Music Teaching License. During her time in undergrad, she spent much of her free time participating in and leading various initiatives centered around creating safe and reliable resources and spaces for students of color, especially female-identifying students of color. During their first year in the ARAD program, they co-founded a podcast highlighting the unique but shared experiences and challenges faced by Black individuals within the arts. Through resources, opportunities, and skills gained from both educational institutions and previous work experience, she aspires to work within arts organizations and schools to continue providing access to arts and arts education for youth and communities of color.