Not a Simple Job

Sana Ullah, an intern with Office of Facilities Management and Reliability (OFMR).

Sana Ullah is a graduate student at George Washington University studying New Media Photojournalism. During the Summer of 2016, she interned with the Smithsonian Institution for the Office of Facilities Management and Reliability (OFMR).

While interning with OFMR, Sana created fliers, edited videos, learned from digital archive specialists, met many well-known Smithsonian photographers, and more. But Sana had a goal while during her internship. In Sana’s words:

However, my main project was to create a short documentary on the Building Service Workers (Custodians) at the Smithsonian, that showcased the their efforts and importance to the Smithsonian mission through their own words. I had the wonderful opportunity to get to know each employee that I interviewed on a personal level and was amazed by their hard work and dedication to keeping the museums and facilities maintained and cleaned for the public. We often times overlook the people that contribute the most to our everyday lives and forget to be thankful for their contribution. This project taught me that custodial work is not a simple job, rather it is versatile and should be respected just like any other career. I am happy that I had the opportunity to listen to some of the wonderful stories the Building Service Workers shared with me. I hope that my video showcases their efforts and shares with Smithsonian visitors the amazing team who keep the museums clean and inviting.

The video below is Sana’s short documentary, Elite Workers.

Interested in seeing more of Sana’s work? Click here to visit her website and see her work in photography and videography.