Something interesting caught Olivia Braia’s eye while at the Peekskill Library one afternoon this past January. She was home during winter break from Oswego State University and scrolling through LinkedIn for internships to consider for the summer between her junior and senior years. Since she enjoys history, serves on her school’s Student Art Exhibition Committee, and has a grandpa who is a WWII veteran, when she saw “Rosen House Summer Research Fellowship: Collection and Archives (2024 Theme: Caramoor and World War II),” she thought it could be a match.
After reading through a pile of applications and interviewing top candidates on Zoom, Jessa Krick – Caramoor’s Director of Interpretation, Collection, and Archives – knew that Olivia would be ideal for the role.
Over the three months of the fellowship starting in June, Olivia will be conducting research to help inform and plan a special 2025 Rosen House focus tour on Caramoor and World War II. The historic period is especially relevant to Caramoor and its founders, Lucie and Walter Rosen, whose son Walter Bigelow Rosen served as a pilot and was tragically lost during that time.
In addition to uncovering and digesting many articles and pieces of correspondence (she can decipher script!), Olivia will likely have the chance to employ many skills that she has acquired working in various offices on her school campus, such as Admissions (meet your tour guide, prospective students!) and Marketing and Communications. If you happen to see Olivia admiring the details of the Rosen House with her mom and cousin, the team of three are probably just adding this to their tally of historic homes they like to visit together, which of late include Boscobel, Van Cortlandt Manor, and The Grange (Alexander Hamilton’s house).
Although the first day of Olivia’s fellowship will be her first-ever step onto Caramoor grass, her artistic background would lead us to believe she will instantly fit in. In addition to much dance training, her childhood musical theater credits include Lion King (hyena) and High School Musical (Gabriella’s friend Taylor), and her dad is a drummer in a local band called Niteshade. She also knows and appreciates the plethora of Westchester bike paths nearby, and she is very ready to embark on a fun and meaningful ride.
From a fellow historian and exhibit writer currently writing a scholarly book partly about World War II, I send my best wishes for your work on this worthy topic!