History Lab is a summer intensive for high school students entering grades 10–12 in the 2026/27 school year interested in local history and storytelling. Strengthen your historical research skills and explore creative ways to interpret and share history!
History Lab will take place at MOHAI with occasional off-site field trips Monday–Friday from 10 am–4 pm July 27–31 and August 3–7, 2026.
Please check this page in the spring for updates on the 2026 session.
Please contact the MOHAI Education Department with any questions or accommodation needs throughout the application process.
Program Details
Dates: Monday–Friday, July 27–August 7, 2026
Time: 10am–4pm
Location: MOHAI
Ages: Entering grades 10–12
Application deadline: May 22, 2026
What should History Lab participants expect?
During History Lab, participants will dive into local history and storytelling, sharpening their research and interpretation skills. Each session of History Lab is built around a unique theme, though students will research and create a project on a topic that interests them.
Exploration of Pacific Northwest history
During the 2026 intensive we will be exploring the power of history and the history of power.
How does power influence our study or understanding of the past? How can studying the past shape our understanding of power? How are our ideas about the past formed and reproduced, and why or how do these ideas change over time? What drives social and political change?
We will explore these questions throughout Seattle’s past and in our own lives through offsite field trips, in-gallery exploration, research using the MOHAI collection, and exploring the neighborhood around us.
Creative approaches to interpretation and storytelling
We will also be exploring creative ways to interpret and share history—online! We’ll learn how to communicate ideas and tell compelling stories by looking at examples of digital public history projects, experimenting with creative exercises, and learning about some of the easy to use (and often free) digital tools that are available. Along the way, participants will build core history skills like research, analysis, writing, and editing.
Over the course of the two weeks, participants will conduct their own research and produce a work of historical interpretation to be published on the Rainy Day History website. Participants will be paid a $150 stipend for their work.
History Lab FAQ
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Who is eligible for History Lab?
Participation is limited to six participants. History Lab is open to high school students entering grades 10–12 in the 2026/27 school year.
You don’t have to be a history buff to apply! We are looking for people who are interested in creative storytelling, passionate about local issues, and using history to understand and make an impact on the world around us.
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How does the application process work?
Online applications for History Lab 2026 will open in April with a deadline of May 22, 2026.
All applicants will be notified whether they have been selected for the program by June 18, 2026. Please email education@mohai.org with any questions, concerns, or accommodation needs throughout the application process.