Here is a list of topics to cover, please let me know if there is anything else you’d like to know! It does not have to be exclusive to archaeology, and can also generalize education/ grad school/ etc.
Feel free to contribute any other ideas as well! Or if you are interested in joining in on the production! I’ve started a community of mostly archaeology friends on Discord,let me know if you’d like to hang out!
-What is Archaeology? So you wanna be an archaeologist?
-Different types of Archaeology, Different Professions in Archaeology
-Undergraduate Degrees in Anthropology and Archaeology
-Networking through your undergrad degree
-Grant and Scholarship applications
-Time Management of coursework
-Pros and Cons of a masters degree in Anthropology/Archaeology
-Grad School Applications for Masters Degrees (US vs. UK)
-Favorite things about our time in UK Masters degree
-Jobs in Archaeology outside of Academia
-C.V. for Humanities degrees and Academic Job searching
-Research in Archaeology between degrees
-Networking after and during your degree
-Ph.D. in Archaeology/Anthropology? Pros and Cons -Ph.D. Applications
Gabriella Herrera grew up in a rural town in California. Her mother always emphasized the importance of education, work ethic, and leadership, but that wasn’t always reflected in her community. She came from a high school with lots of Latinos and African Americans, and not many went to ‘good’ colleges, she said. “Because of that, I was more motivated to do well and defy the stereotype or just be an alternate…image of what it means to be Latina, and show that you can succeed no matter what background you can come from.”
And she has succeeded: she started working in labs at 15 at Stanford and the University of Southern California. She graduated as the first Latina valedictorian at her high school, and was athletic and involved in community service. When I called her, I was hoping she’d be socially awkward or something so I’d feel better about myself, but unfortunately for the rest of us average folk, she was a confident speaker and we got along well. Simply put, she’s the girl college admissions officers dream about. Gabriella was accepted to all the Ivy League schools and Stanford, eventually choosing to cross the country and call Harvard her new home, majoring in neuroscience.
“My mother always taught me to never forget where I came from,” she said. She serves in Harvard’s minority recruitment program, mentors Boston high school students, and, if she becomes a neurosurgeon, will be the first female Mexican-American neurosurgeon ever. “I’ve done a lot of research, I hardly see Latinos, let alone Latinas,” she said. “I specifically have had to seek out Latino physicians or researchers.” But why is it so important to see someone of your background in your dream job? “It’s important for a younger student to actually visualize and see, like 'Yes, there are Latinas in STEM and that’s something that I can do, too…I can get there because she made it, too.’”
She hopes to work abroad after graduation next year to Central or South America. Eventually, she says, she wants to return to a community like the one she grew up in - “rural, under-served, high populations of minorities - and deliver free or low-cost healthcare to those communities."
Her advice? "Remember where you came from and what your goal is at the end of all of this, and remember who you want to serve at the end of all of this…Go back to your community and help other young girls cause that’s the only way that we’re gonna keep moving forward.”
The first time my parents sat in on one of my lectures was first-year family weekend: We sat apart from everyone else and I didn’t say a word because I was convinced I was the dumbest person in the room. The second time they sat in on one of my lectures was three years later, and I was teaching it.
I know I haven’t been posting much this semester, but DONT WORRY I’ve just been quietly dying. Four papers due in the next three days, plus I’m still recovering from my 21st birthday, plus don’t let me forget before I graduate (!!!!) to tell you all about the job application process. Keeping it all very secretive for now but don’t worry: it sucks!
