For MS student Nicholas Digrispino, learning that he was selected for one of two research internships at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, was a dream come true. The internship is part of the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Youth Leadership Development, which provides hand-on training in research, photo archives, technical services, collections management, and more.
"This is the perfect opportunity for me, as I love baseball and history," said Digrispino, who earned his BS in history from Illinois State University. "Baseball is interwoven in the history of America the way that no other sport is or has been. Of particular interest to me is the intersection of race, social movements, and baseball."
A lifelong Cubs fan, Digrispino's current favorite baseball player is Anthony Rizzo, but his all-time favorite is "The Great One," Roberto Clemente.
"I have been drawn to Clemente's example of service from a very early age. I believe he said it best when he said, 'If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth.' That is a quote that I have tried to live my life by," Digrispino said.
Digrispino chose the MS/LIS program at the iSchool because of the program's number-one ranking and because he felt the School was "best suited to give me the tools to be successful in life." He has numerous interests within the field of LIS and looks forward to taking Social Justice in the Information Professions and Intellectual Freedom and Censorship.
"One of the many highlights of this internship for me is the artifact spotlight. I will have the opportunity to select an artifact from the museum and research it. I will then be able to present that research to visitors at the Hall," he said.
In the future, Digrispino would love to work as a research librarian at a hybrid institution such as the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Editor's note: Because of COVID-19, Digrispino's internship has been rescheduled for summer 2021.