HSP would like to welcome Haverford student Becca Matson as our summer Programs Assistant Co-Op! Read on to learn more about Becca and look forward to working with her this summer!
Hi everyone, my name is Becca (she/her) and I am the Summer 2021 Co-Op for HSP! I’m a rising senior at Haverford College located right outside of Philadelphia majoring in History with a minor in Visual Studies and a concentration in Gender and Sexuality Studies. I am thrilled to join HSP this summer to help them enhance Pennsylvania’s cultural and historical landscape.
Originally from Malvern, PA, I have lived in Pennsylvania my whole life attending our many museums, theatres, and community events. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such an amazing cultural and historical organization like HSP. As a History Major and Visual Studies Minor, I enjoy and am highly experienced in researching, writing, and visually showcasing different conceptualizations of history, archives, culture, gender, sexuality, identity, and race through historical research papers and short films.
In terms of my academic interests specifically, I tend to focus on 20th century American History examining American culture, politics, and society. In my recent coursework, I wrote a historiographic essay titled, “Cosmetic Surgery’s Physical Inscription of Whiteness as Capital”, which sought to understand how cosmetic surgery works as a political technology of the state to inscribe, racialize, engender, and embed power and capital onto faces. I hope to expand this research over the next year to contribute to my Senior History Thesis.
Last summer I worked as an Undergraduate Research Fellow for Haverford’s Hurford Center for the Arts and Humanities’ summer program, “(Re)imagining the Arts and Humanities in a Digital World”. Through this Fellowship, I conducted an independent research project titled, “Investigating the Archive: The Act of Decolonization as a Theoretical and Ongoing Practice”, in which I researched ways to deconstruct archival power dynamics to center historical counter-narratives. This project sparked my enthusiasm for history, archives, and constructing stories, and I am extremely excited to bring this passion to HSP.
At Haverford, I also work as a gallery assistant at our on-campus art gallery and as a bookseller in the college bookstore. When I’m not working, you can find me running the Haverford women’s club soccer team, going for hikes, driving to Wawa with friends, and listening to music.
I am extremely excited to share my enthusiasm for history and learning with HSP over the summer. I look forward to learning more about HSP’s own collections, events, and services throughout my time as a summer Co-Op!