WASHINGTON ­– The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts selected Andrea Underhill, of Merrimack, for its prestigious, nationally recognized internship program. She served as the Friends of the Kennedy Center intern with development as a part of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center from September through December.

Underhill graduated from Merrimack High School, where she was an academic scholarship recipient as well as an honor roll student. She is the daughter of Chip and Lisa Underhill.

In 2011, she received a bachelor of arts in theatre and public communications from the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt. As a student at UVM, Underhill was a four-time nominee for the Irene Ryan Awards for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Additionally, she received the Edward J. Feidner Award for theatre and was acknowledged as the Outstanding Senior in Theatre for 2010-11. While completing her undergraduate education, she served as treasurer and president for the University Players, UVM’s campus drama club, and performed in more than eight productions, five on the main stage. In addition to her involvement with UVM theatre, Andrea performed with Lyric Theatre Company, Burlington’s resident theatre company, and taught for both the Flynn Arts in Burlington and the Peacock Players in Nashua, N.H.

As the Friends of the Kennedy Center Intern, Andrea is involved in various aspects of the volunteer program at the Kennedy Center. Andrea has the opportunity to learn of the basic principles of management – recruitment, retention, and recognition, in addition to honing her professional writing skills in helping to draft the friends newsletter and assisting with the coordination and management of festival volunteer and recruitment procedures. Furthermore, Andrea serves as a liaison with the many administrative departments throughout the Kennedy Center that utilize volunteers.

The Kennedy Center selected 23 interns from an annual pool of more than 300 applicants for a 13-week fall internship in arts management. Full-time placements are made within the center’s central offices including advertising, development, education, National Symphony Orchestra, press relations, production, programming, technology, volunteer management, and finance. In addition, interns attend weekly seminars led by executives of the Kennedy Center and other major arts institutions in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center Internship Program is recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the “Top 100 Internships” in the United States.

The DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center also offers fellowships for mid-career professionals who aspire to manage performing arts institutions and arts service organizations in both the public and private sector. The 10-month long fellowship program includes extensive coursework in contemporary business practices and practical management experience in planning, presenting, and producing performing arts programming.

For more information about internships and/or fellowships contact The DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center at 1-202-416-8800 or at www.kennedy-center.org/education/artsmanagement.