By Sara Manus
For the third year, the Vanderbilt University Libraries hosted student interns from the Opportunity NOW program. Sponsored by the Nashville mayor’s office, Opportunity NOW is a youth employment initiative designed for youth aged 14-24. The Wilson Music Library was delighted to host Dedar Himeidi and Bella Landrum as interns in June and July.
Dedar Himeidi is a senior at Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, and an active member of Nashville’s thriving Kurdish community. Dedar has been involved in grant-writing efforts aimed at preserving the history and culture of Nashville’s Little Kurdistan, and he gained organizational and descriptive skills while working with materials from the Blair School of Music Archives. Dedar focused on archival photographs, and he now understands why documenting subjects and dates in photographs is crucial to the preservation of history. Dedar plans to go to college and major in business after he graduates in May of 2020.
Bella Waldrum is a senior at MacGavock High School with an interest in sound recording production. During her time at the Music Library, Bella processed recordings for the Blair Performance Archive, a streaming database of school of music performances. Bella also plans to attend college after she graduates next May, currently planning to study math education and minor in recording technology.