The Workers’ History Museum is again fortunate to receive funding from Young Canada Works (YCW) for the hiring of a summer student. This year, our student is Andrea Gonzalez, and we’re extremely fortunate to have her.

“I’m excited about two things,” she says about her summer at the WHM, “the first being that I have the ability to be able to see how a museum that is considerably new grow, and the process that it needs to take to establish itself; the second being that I get to research and learn about Ottawa’s history. I enjoy doing research, and I think that learning about the community that you live in is important.”

A Sarnia native who now calls Ottawa home, Andrea graduated from Carleton University with a degree in History and Political Studies, and has just completed her first year at Algonquin College’s Applied Museum Studies program. An experienced traveller, Andrea is also passionate about museums. She lists the Grand Palace in Thailand as one of her favourites, recalling the “detail and thought that was placed into designing the Palace” as part of its charm. She also has fond memories of the St. Louis Science Center, and says that its approach and exhibits “haven’t gotten old for me yet, and I don’t think they ever will.”

No stranger to local history, thanks to her classes in history as well as Canadian Studies, Andrea is tasked with the research of two WHM exhibitions: the history of the E.B. Eddy Company’s workers, and the story of Ottawa’s working class during the First World War.

Stay tuned to the WHM blog over the next few weeks to see what Andrea discovers!