Hannah Byrne ’16 begins each workday at one of the most prestigious institutions in the country, with coffee and a call with her advisor, the Smithsonian historian.

Shortly after receiving her master’s in public history from American University, Byrne joined the Smithsonian Institution Archives as a program assistant.

“One of the reasons I pursued a career in public history is for the variety of tasks I would get to do in my work,” she says.

In her role, Byrne responds to reference requests, processes interviews for the oral history collection, and conducts original research on the history of the Smithsonian Institution. She also helps put together public exhibits and other specific research projects.

Her work with the Smithsonian’s Open Access Initiative, which holds more than three million digital items from the collections, stands out as one of her favorite experiences so far. In February 2020, as part of the initiative, Byrne worked with students from Portland, Oregon, who were writing songs on early Smithsonian history alongside artists like The Decemberists’ Chris Funk.

These students used material from the open access collection to create the songs, and Byrne provided them with a lesson on Smithsonian history to spark some inspiration for their songwriting.

Prior to her current position, Byrne worked in archives and historical education at the White House Historical Association, the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and the Birmingham Public Library.

“I always knew that I loved history, and I loved museums and historic sites, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year at BSC that I could figure out how to connect those two and identify a career,” she says.

Byrne recognizes how her history professors at BSC prepared her for graduate school and hands-on historical experience. As a student, she held three different internships, which helped her find her path in public history.

“BSC showed me what a career with a history degree could mean outside of teaching or attending law school,” she says. “I see a direct through-line from my time at BSC to my current career.”

This story was published in the Fall/Winter 2020 issue of ’Southern, BSC’s alumni magazine.

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