Fellowships and Internships
Aidan Lawrence
Aidan joined the DMFAH's Internship Program on May 27, 2021. He is currently going into his third year at Roanoke College. Aidan joined the internship program at DMFAH to get hands-on experience in the working world and pursue areas of interest. Having grown up in Danville, he has always known of and been interested in the story of the Sutherlin mansion and the Museum, spending summers participating in the museum’s Civil War camps. The museum has always been an important part of his life and he is glad to be able to assist in its operations.
With history as his main area of academic focus, it seemed only natural that he return to DMFAH as an intern to learn more about the over-all operations of the Museum and the art of accessioning, maintaining collections, sorting and handling artifacts, and spurring an appreciation of history and archaeology which he plans to pursue in his scholarly life. Aidan would like to enter the historical archaeological field, specializing in either early American life and militaria or underwater archaeology, particularly focusing on early 18th century Caribbean piracy.
Aidan is a musician, and loves to play the guitar, bass guitar and mandolin. Poetry is another facet of the arts that he enjoys. He enjoys staying active by weightlifting, swimming and biking. His other interest is Investing.
Tripp Hayes
Tripp is a recent graduate of Dan River High School. He started working with DMFAH in the Internship program on July 31, 2020. Helping to preserving the historical collection at DMFAH was important to Tripp, and while working at the Museum he has learned to catalog and organize some of the Museum's collections as well as learning to work with others as a team on projects. He enjoys working at the Museum and is thankful for the flexibility that the museum offers, allowing him to organize his school time around his internship work.
Tripp has been accepted to Stoney Brook University in Stoney Brook, New York and will be majoring in history with teaching as his goal, and eventually becoming a professor teaching at college level. He hopes to study abroad and plans on minoring in either political science or philosophy.
When he's not busy with school or Interning at the Museum, Tripp enjoys collecting records, cassettes, older movies and reading. His favorite books are philosophy, novels, historical documents and biographies.
John Sheridan
John was born in the UK (1994) to Earll and Lee Anne Sheridan, a Baptist minister and a stay-at-home mom. His family moved to the U.S. when he was 4, eventually ending up in Danville just before entered the 6th grade at Dan River Middle School.
Upon graduating from Dan River High, John joined the Air Force, first serving in Texas at Goodfellow AFB for 4 years, then in Nebraska at Offutt AFB for 2 years. Following his active-duty commitment, he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve and returned to Danville to attend Danville Community College, majoring in Network Administration. Deciding that accumulating volunteer hours was important for his career development, he joined the internship program at DMFAH in July of 2020.
For his future plans, John is deciding between getting an IT position close to home or moving on to a 4-year degree program after graduating from DCC. When he’s not volunteering or studying, John enjoys classical piano, outdoor sports, chess and culinary practices.
Adessa Breakley
Adessa is a Senior at Danville Community College where she is an education major. She is a former president of the DCC Student Government Association (SGA). During her time on the student council she attended leadership conferences, participated in community service, and volunteered at God’s Storehouse helping to distribute food boxes to 300 families across Danville.
Adessa's choice classes are English and Math. She will be graduating with a certificate in Early Childhood Education and attending Averett in the fall of 2021. She is currently teaching at Abundant Life Childcare Center where she teaches three and four year olds.
Adessa joined the Internship Program at the Danville Museum in 2020, and completed the 300 hour Internship Program on November 5, 2020. She has been assisting the museum in updating the Camilla Williams Collection as well as the current traveling trunk narratives and activities.
Aidan Leigh Skye Thomas
Aidan joined the Internship Program at the Danville Museum on June 22, 2020, and completed the 300 hour Internship Program on September 15, 2020.
She is currently enrolled in a two-year Liberal Arts program with Social Science Specialization at Danville Community College (DCC) and will graduate in May 2021. She will be transferring to a four-year institute and will study anthropology and archaeology, with a specialization in Greek and Roman myths.
Aidan is working in the Collections Department at the Danville Museum. Through the internship program she has gained leadership skills, museum software competence, interpersonal skills and beneficial contacts. She enjoys the work environment at the Museum and feels that she has been put in positions of responsibility that have helped her learn skills that will propel her forward in the work field in the future.
In the future, she would like to work with National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute to study the culture and mythology of Ancient Civilizations. Writing and traveling are also included in her plans.
Aidan's interests include: Art of all kinds, writing, reading, archery, SFX design, and spending time with her dog.
Summer Internship Program Documents
Below are documents pertaining to the Summer Internship Program at the DMFAH. Please click on them to download the pdfs and fill out.
Summer Internship Orientation Document
Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History Harassment Policy-2021