Original interview

What has been your highlight so far?

"The highlight so far has been working at the Museum and the privileged access that comes with this. On my first day I held my first ever human skull, of a Roman and pre-historic pottery over 70,000 years old!"

What are you currently working on?

"I am currently working on collating the architectural fragments from the St Mary's Abbey ruin in the grounds of the Yorkshire Museum. It was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1539 and the museum stores contain hundreds of stone pieces from this once wealthy abbey. At the end of this project I hope to have informed the Museum's collection by producing an up-to-date database of these stones and by writing mini case histories for particular stones of interest, which shall eventually go online for the public to access."

What experiences would you say have been most useful or unexpected?

"I have had some training in how to archive objects, how to handle, measure and record them. This has been extremely exciting for a History of Art student who rarely gets to be hands on with objects."

How does the museum make use of you?

"I primarily work with the archaeology curatorial team in the office. Most of the time I am working independently on the St Mary's abbey stonework project using online and paper databases. I am also on hand to help with back dated archiving that needs doing, they still have many fascinating items recorded on paper that need to be digitized."

What do you value most about your experience with the institution?

"I value this opportunity most for the privileged access to its collections but also for its benefits to my career. Alongside the qualifications I am gaining at York University I am working one day a week in an institution related to the field I hope to be employed in. I also value my days at the museum as a break from University life. This placement helps inform my studies and ideas about where I want to be in the future."

How has your work at the Yorkshire Museum enhanced your studies at York?

"The biggest contribution this placement has had is for my MA dissertation. My project for the museum is integral to this thesis and is the basis for my initial research. When working on the stones from the abbey I came across a broken piece of sculpture of the Coronation of the Virgin which I shall explore the meaning and context for my dissertation, using the museum's archive material."

Do you feel it has been helpful with career planning or improved your job prospects, and if yes, how?

"So far I can add archival experience, handling artefacts and visits to archaeological stores to my CV skills. I do not know yet where I shall be next year but I hope to enter into the Heritage world which shall definitely require some of these skills, if not all. My chances of acquiring these jobs are increased by my experiences and knowledge gained."

Would you recommend it to future students?

"I would definitely recommend anyone to apply for these placements. The extra work required is nothing compared to the benefits gained. I never feel like it is a chore to go to the museum."

What happened next?

February 2015:

"Three months since finishing my MA and Scholarship, and with perseverance and many applications, I am very pleased to say I am now employed. My line manager has told me that my scholarship helped me get the position. On reflection, since university, I feel very grateful to have done the partnership studentship. It gave me a taste of working life each week, both what to expect and experience relevant to my future career. Even though I am not in an environment of handling artefacts, I still feel this skill will come in useful. My current administrator job in a heritage setting utilises all my IT skills and the organisational skills that were needed to manage the partnership alongside my degree. The experience of editing an online database is also useful to transfer to other areas. I have made a start in the right direction. The partnership and degree have got me this far, and I look forward to what will happen in the future."