Life with Lady Liberty

Shortly before graduating from Central Michigan University in May, Fern Borus, ’25, secured a seasonal position at the Statue of Liberty National Monument in New York City and has worked there ever since. Borus returned to campus in October to share insights on working with the National Park Service and offer valuable advice to current students and new graduates.

Borus earned a B.S. in Public History with minors in Museum Studies, Multimedia Design, and Theater & Interpretation as an Honors student.

During an informational workshop titled “Learn with Fern,” Borus discussed transitioning from college to the professional world, a period that is often filled with both excitement and uncertainty for new grads. 

Borus says some of the greatest benefits of working for NPS include paid sick and personal leave, access to healthcare, and “rehire authority,” a designation that gives former NPS employees hiring preference when returning to previous seasonal roles.

Borus also highlighted the social advantages of working at such an iconic and highly visited site as the Statue of Liberty.

“Although the position pushed me outside of my comfort zone, my supportive coworkers and excellent training from the NPS-STLI  helped me adjust to the demands of the job,” said Borus. “I quickly became friends with many of my coworkers, which also helped on a personal level with being new to the city.”

One of Borus’ favorite aspects of their job was getting the opportunity to create and lead their own interpretive tour that focuses on the history of the Statue of Liberty.

Borus says their CMU degree and experiences helped prepare them for the work they are doing at NPS today.

“Taking a variety of classes in various fields/colleges was incredibly valuable,” said Borus. “With the heavy volume of people, I think my experience working amidst the inherent chaos of co-curricular theatrical productions as well as my TAI classes definitely prepared me for this aspect of my work.”

Borus also says CMU’s Historiography and Museum Education courses provided training for choosing and crediting accurate sources and presenting information to the public in an engaging way.

“Outside of classes, I would say getting experience via work and internships at the Baber Room Gallery, Clarke Historical Library, and CMU Museum (paid and unpaid) over the course of my college time was also hugely helpful in backing my education up with practical experience,” said Borus.

Borus also emphasized the importance of foreign language skills. The Statue of Liberty sees about 15,000 visitors per day, so Borus learned helpful phrases in languages such as French and Spanish to assist international visitors.

Not every part of the job came easy. Borus admits that interacting with such a high volume of visitors and performing repetitive tasks such as answering general way-finding questions can be tiring.

Borus used those moments to practice patience and compassion, reminding themselves that while the monument had become familiar to them, many guests were seeing it (and New York City) for the very first time! This helped keep Borus empathetic to the needs of the visitors. 

Public History and Museum Studies student Kayli Adams said she left the presentation feeling inspired.

“Hearing the honest opinions and experiences of someone working at such a monumental site for American history gives a great deal of hope to graduating students,” said Adams. “Knowing that this job is not only possible for students like us, but achievable as well, clearly gave some students in the crowd a brand-new sparkle in their eyes."

When asked about the best part of working at the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Borus said “meeting, helping, talking to, and learning from people from all over the world.”

Fern’s advice for applying for jobs with the National Park Service:  

• Just create an account already! Set up a profile on USAJobs.gov and upload your resume. Be sure to follow the requirements of a federal resume, which can be found on the USAJobs website.

• Start applying early: October was the ideal time to start looking for and applying for jobs (especially seasonal positions that would be offered for the summer). According to Fern, “…exact dates for Park Ranger and Park Guide applications change every year but generally, applications are available to view on USAJobs.gov midway through October.”

• Be patient: The hiring process can (and most likely will) take time. Interview delays were common for them as new governmental changes were happening at the time of their application/interviews. 

• Stay open-minded! Embrace new experiences. Fern had regions of the country in mind that they wanted to work, but they were open to going somewhere unexpected. No matter where you end up, you will grow both personally AND professionally. 

Please note that Borus’ presentation and the information presented in this article reflect their personal experiences and opinions, and Borus is not speaking on behalf of the National Park Service (NPS).