Themester

Themester welcomes its new 2022 interns for the fall semester, as the College approaches its 2022 theme: Identity and Identification.

Themester’s new interns include Imari Walker, Amangul Hydyrova, Aubrey Clinkert, Anastasia Kersh, Cailin O’Malley and Elly Wagler. Anstasia Kersh, a communications and outreach intern, says joining Themester is a great opportunity to see more of Indiana University’s campus and community, especially with the changes from COVID.  

“Being a communications and outreach intern is broad enough that it gives me so many opportunities to do things here at IU, which I think is perfect for me because being able to explore those options in a workplace context is very promising for me,” Kersh says. “For some of us, it can really help us solidify some future plans.” 

Kersh says that joining Themester has provided her with a variety of opportunities and events on IU’s campus. Originally learning about Themester through one of their provided classes, she says the name stuck around and piqued her interest again at the First Thursdays Festival. Especially with the theme being ‘Identity and Identification,’ Kersh says it’s a good way to be more involved with the community and keep them involved as well.  

“I saw the ad [for interns] on Instagram over winter break, and at first wasn’t as interested-- and then I saw that the theme was “Identity and Identification,” says Imari Walker, a communications and outreach intern. “As a Black woman on IU’s rather white campus, I went ‘oh, this is an awesome theme to educate people about!’ I just wanted to engage with the theme and learn more about other identities.” 

Approximately 29% of students on IU campuses are people of color, and Walker says that it’s an important subject to bring up, even as campuses slowly begin to add more students of color over time. She says this is an important step for IU to discuss, and that the theme is a perfect way for students to engage with their own identities and others as well.  

Themester’s new interns come from a variety of organizations and clubs on IU’s campus. Cailin O’Malley, a design editor for Indiana Daily Student (IDS), talks about how her schedule has prepped her for Themester’s high-energy schedule as the fall nears closer.  

“With the IDS, basically what I do is look through all their social media posts, print pages and illustrations. I tend to proof-read other people’s work and give them the OK, but sometimes I even make my own work,” O’Malley says. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’ve been pretty busy with this schedule recently. Communicating online has its perks, but sometimes it can be really tricky.”  

With the other business of school, O’Malley is excited to prep for the fall. As the College of Arts + Sciences Expo, the College’s main Welcome Week event, rolls around, she says there is a lot of exciting work to be done. The College Expo takes place on Aug. 18 in Dunn Meadow, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. 

“It’s a lot of work that we’re trying to get ahead with,” O’Malley says, “but it’s going to be really fun this year. I can’t wait.”