by Charis Marshal, Student Public Relations Writer
Cedarville Alumna Brings History to Life at Smithsonian
Inside one of the world’s most iconic museums, Cedarville University alumna and video production intern Elizabeth Kollmar is hard at work turning history into powerful stories at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
The museum in Washington D.C. is home to the world’s largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft. The Smithsonian has inspired Kollmar, a 2025 graduate with a degree in broadcasting, digital media and journalism, to bring history to life through educational and documentary-style productions that highlight technology, innovation and human achievement.
Blending Passion for Museums With Media Storytelling
Kollmar has always loved museums, so producing videos in this setting was a natural way to blend her interests in nonprofit work and media education.
“I wanted to do documentary-style productions for nonprofit marketing or educational-style media,” Kollmar said. “And working for the museum allows me to work in a nonprofit setting and produce educational media.”
Hands-On Learning Fuels Professional Growth
In her internship, Kollmar films within tight production schedules, oversees camera and lighting setup, coordinates audio recording and edits video footage. Having gained hands-on experience through classes and extracurricular projects during her time at Cedarville, she values the opportunity to work on a production team.
Kollmar credits the countless projects, both inside and outside the classroom, during her time at Cedarville with preparing her well for both the creative and technical aspects of production work.
“Most video production learning happens outside the classroom,” said Kollmar. “It is just creating time and time again and then failing and learning from those failures. But the skills I learned from my classes gave me a solid foundational knowledge. Production is in the details, and I can deliver a better final product because of that foundation I have.”
Behind the Scenes at the Pentagon
While in Washington, D.C., Kollmar connected with Lt. Col. Devin Robinson, chief of the executive engagement branch for the National Guard Bureau and a 2003 Cedarville graduate. Robinson and his team provide strategic communications, multimedia production and media coordination for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Robinson invited Kollmar to visit Defense Media Activity at the Pentagon, where she observed national-level media operations supporting the Department of Defense from behind the scenes.
“I am not necessarily pursuing journalism,” said Kollmar. “But it is all part of the media process. Seeing behind the curtain at the Department of Defense gave me new insight into how media production happens in D.C. and how news gets to a local news station, on national news or on your Google feed.”
Turning Internships Into a Media Career
The experience gave her a broader perspective on the creation of media in different settings.
Kollmar’s Smithsonian internship and Pentagon visit equipped her to see her goals become a reality, and she is now doing non-profit videography work full-time in the DC area.
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.
