Internships
Fallingwater offers summer internship opportunities for college and graduate students interested in careers related to the site’s many departments.
Each year, interns complete hands-on projects relevant to their area of specialization while working closely with supervisors, colleagues and volunteers in their host department. Fallingwater strongly encourages applications from students who are members of groups underrepresented in careers related to its mission.
Meet the 2024 Fallingwater Interns
Alaira hudson
West Virginia University
2024 Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation Landscape Intern
As an aspiring landscape architect in this current era of anthropocentric ideals, I’m proud to be part of conserving places for people to develop a connection to the natural context that we live in, just as guests are able to do at Fallingwater.
Alaira will be heading into her fourth year at West Virginia University studying Landscape Architecture. At school, Alaira spends time in the printmaking studio and also works for her school’s art center. Alaira had also taken part in Fallingwater’s High School Residency program, and was super excited to come back for the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation Landscape internship! Alaira loves exploring the nature and beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright through her passions of art and nature.
Ashley Williams
University of Alabama
2024 Judy Cheteyan Collections Intern
It’s amazing to see how rich the local history is at Fallingwater. It’s been great being able to put all of my theoretical knowledge to practical use!
Ashley is currently in graduate school at the University of Alabama taking their Library & Informational Sciences Program and concentrating in Archival Studies. Ashley graduated from Virginia Tech in 2022 with a BFA in Studio Art. Outside of her studies, Ashley enjoys cooking, cross-stitching, and watching movies.
Brandon Karafilis
Saint Vincent College
2024 Fawcett Digital Multimedia Intern
One of the most inspiring parts of being the Digital Multimedia intern was witnessing Fallingwater behind a camera lens. Seeing and working in FLW’s architecture first hand gave me the opportunity to take my creative vision to the next level.
Brandon will be heading into his senior year at Saint Vincent College studying Communication & Media Studios with minors in Marketing and Digital Art. Brandon covers Saint Vincent’s ice hockey team as a freelance sports writer for the Latrobe Bulletin as well as working at his school’s writing center as a Writing Consultant. Brandon has always been interested capturing nature and people through photography, videography, and storytelling. As the Fawcett Digital Multimedia Intern, Brandon worked on photo and video content for Fallingwater’s social media platforms while also presenting marketing strategies from his research audit.
Gabbie Milcoff
Saint Vincent College
2024 Robert and Harriet Kirkpatrick Education Intern
One of the best parts of interning at Fallingwater was being witness to visitors’ diverse range of interpretations about the house. As a history secondary education student, experiencing visitors’ sense of wonder was not only eye opening for my future career, but overall an incredible opportunity.
Gabbie will be heading into her fourth year at Saint Vincent College studying History and Secondary Education. Prior to her internship at Fallingwater, Gabbie worked as a teaching assistant and also camp counselor with her local YMCA. With a profound interest in museums, Gabbie will be traveling to London to visit the British Museum as she begins to form her Senior History Research Thesis this upcoming school year. As the Robert and Harriet Kirkpatrick Education Intern, Gabbie was excited to learn the history behind Fallingwater while also being able to grow her passion for education.
Kiley Smith
Syracuse University
2024 Judy Cheteyan Collections Intern
Spending the summer at Fallingwater was a perfect place to connect my practical knowledge of cultural heritage organizations with hands on work through the archives and collections of an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kiley is currently studying for her master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences at Syracuse University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Citizenship and Civic Engagement back in 2023. Kiley is also repairing Syracuse University’s circulating materials as a preservation department graduate assistant. Kiley’s deep interests in history and storytelling through archival research made her internship at Fallingwater all the more special. Kiley learned more about the history of Fallingwater’s creation, the Kaufmann family, and Frank Lloyd Wright through stories hidden within the archives.
Zoe Matteson
University of California Davis for Landscape Architecture
2024 Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation Landscape Intern
Getting to follow our planting design from conception to completion, while actively participating in every step of the process, allowed me a very valuable insight on all the work that goes into a landscape architect’s process.
Zoe will be heading into her fourth year at the University of California Davis for Landscape Architecture. Zoe has a deep interest in horticulture, as well as plant science. Outside of school, Zoe works at Davis’s Arboretum Waterway where she propagates nursery planets and performs landscape maintenance. Zoe’s studies have given her a profound appreciation for Frank Lloyd Wright and Fallingwater through its’ landscape and preservation of nature.
Learn About Fallingwater Internships
Judy Cheteyan Collections Internship
Collections interns select one or more collections from the archives as a focused summer project. Duties will include housing, organizing, and preparing a finding aid according to national standards for DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard) and EAD (Encoded Archival Description).
Applications are closed for this internshipModernism Week + Fallingwater Preservation Internship
Preservation Interns work directly with Fallingwater’s preservation, collections and maintenance departments as well as visiting consultants and vendors on various projects that seek to deepen the understanding of Fallingwater’s operation as a modern house museum and site on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Supported by Modernism Week, this internship is open to international students participating in the ICOMOS-USA International Exchange Program.
Applications are closed for this internshipFawcett Digital Multimedia Internship
Communications interns work to support the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s communications department in the area of digital communications for Fallingwater’s website, social media channels and other digital platforms.
Applications are closed for this internshipKatherine Mabis McKenna Foundation Landscape Internship
Landscape interns are exposed to a variety of native species of plant life and natural landscape situations on the 5,100-acre Bear Run Nature Reserve, in which Fallingwater is located. In addition, interns gain hands-on learning by designing project schemes and implementing improvements to Fallingwater’s woodland garden landscape.
Applications are closed for this internshipRobert and Harriet Kirkpatrick Education Internship
Education interns work directly with the public tour staff to interpret Fallingwater through guided tours and lectures as well as assist education supervisors with on-site residency programs focused on high school, college and adult learners, and educational workshops for students in grades 3-12.
Applications are closed for this internship