Lenae Jefferson

Year: Junior

Majors: History of Art

Internship: Program Intern at the Motown Museum

What: Jefferson’s work is centered around the community involvement, helping the museum facilitate its summer music camps and programs for kids.

As a child, Lenae Jefferson’s Sunday night ritual was Motown. Her grandmother would dress her and her siblings in their pajamas and pack them into the car for a cruise down Woodward Avenue, the sounds of soul music preparing them for bedtime. Those memories made her summer internship at the Motown Museum even more meaningful.

“With the city in resurgence, it feels especially important to stay here—sometimes the voices of the people who are here get left out,” said Jefferson, a native of the city and a history of art major. “Motown is such a pivotal part of Detroit’s culture. I don’t want to see it washed away.” Jefferson’s summer experience is part of the Applebaum Internship Program in the LSA Opportunity Hub, which provides funding and support to a cohort of students working in nonprofits and arts organizations in Detroit.