Internship Series: UROP, Interdisciplinary Modernist Studies

Nicole Rizzo
CAS/KHC’18 | English
Research Assistant

CCD: Tell us about your internship experience. What were your responsibilities?

Nicole: The focus of my internship was locating images, then researching and requesting permissions, and collaborating with international archives, artists, website owners, and publishers to assist in the publication of an upcoming book on Japanese noh theater. This experience taught me creative approaches to obtaining rights and fulfilling the goals of the book. Publishing company interactions taught me steps for bibliography, index, and glossary assembly. I also assisted in the creation of a website. The results of my study have been more excitement about both publication and noh, by being part of the creation of a text that will inspire others.

CCD: What resources did you use?

Nicole: The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program along with the BU Arts Initiative sponsored my research. I used archives from all over the world, including Ireland, Japan, and the University of Texas at Austin. I contacted rights owners via email, through their websites, through written letters, and various other forms of communication. I am incredibly grateful for the assistance both Professor Carrie Preston and Jaho King, the WGS Program Coordinator, provided for me.

CCD: How has this experience changed your future plans?

Nicole: This experience changed my career aspirations. After working with Professor Preston, I realized that I want to pursue graduate school and academia. I admire all that Professor Preston does for the BU community, and I hope to one day be able to contribute to an academic setting in a similar manner. I can apply what I learned about feminist theory, editing, effective communication, and learning from failure in my English classes as well as in my daily life. I feel that the lessons and skills I developed from this summer experience have helped me grow as a writer, a student, and a person. Also, this summer experience allowed me to engage in a mentor-mentee relationship which has been one of the most important support mechanisms I have had at this university.