What has been your favorite course why?
“I started in the fall of 2013 as a freshman, straight out of high school. I wasn't planning to apply to any UC or CSU but on the last day to send college apps in my senior year, my AP Psychology teacher found out and made me leave school early to apply. I took some of the lower division introduction classes and found it to be really interesting. I also thought it went well with my psychology major and it does, particularly with writing papers and lab work. In addition, it is one of those majors, which gives you a variety of diverse career options. My favorite anthropology course is ANTH 102A (Human Skeletal Biology/Human Osteology). I'm sure I would have loved the next course in the series, Forensic Anthropology, if I could have taken it as well. There’s a lot to remember, but I enjoy identifying bones very much. Also, I hope to partake in forensics after I graduate. I've been watching people more closely and, as a study method, trying to determine which bone is where in their body and what the measurements would be if I could hold it in my hand. It's also making me think even more about what I want to do after graduating.”
What does Anthropology (biological, cultural, or archaeological) mean to you?
“Anthropology means that I'm interested in people, cultures, and behaviors, etc. In a way, it means that I care what happens to all peoples, places, and practices. Being a forensic or cultural anthropologist would be lovely. I really want to work with local groups in the States that wish for others to better understand them via the production of ethnographies; for example, the Santa Cruz Melee Community and Muslim-Americans in the U.S. workforce. I hope to earn two masters after graduating from here, University of California, Santa Cruz. I'm planning to apply for a Masters of Social Work program next year at a nearby CSU. After about five to eight years of social work, I will try to apply for the Forensic Science masters program at UCD after fulfilling all of its prerequisites. After another five to eight years, if I can, I will try for something else because it's nice to do different things in the next possible 80 years of my life. I have volunteered to do some canvassing for congressman John Garamendi in 2012 and I partook in an anthropology field study run by Professor Nancy Chen last year I believe. Our research focused on food-related challenges within Santa Clara County and the Global Food Initiative. I participated in it because I felt I needed to know more about it and our local community, which I have. Now, I'll visit the on-campus food pantry every so often.” Advice that I would give to someone who is just starting to study Anthropology, is to attempt to learn a new language. You don't have to master it, just try. This can aid you in better understanding a cultural community. It also influences, in a positive way, the style you approach different situations and cultures.”
