What drew you to the study of the ancient world?

For as long as I can remember I was drawn to the ancient world. Some of the first books I checked out of the public library, around age 5, were illustrated guides to ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean, and I often convinced my parents to stay at museums way longer than planned. I didn’t quite understand that it could be a career until halfway through my undergrad. I was training to be a foreign correspondent and realized the real thing pulling me to Europe was the story of the Romans and Mediterranean antiquity more generally and I made the pivot to Classical Archaeology. I still am amazed every time I pull something from the ground and think about the last person that touched the object and lives of those who lived so long ago.    

Who or what supported or motivated you on your path to where you are today?

I came to Classics a bit late and would certainly not be where I am today without the professors that helped me along the way. During my tenure at UCLA’s Post-Bacc program, Amy Richlin went out of her way to make sure I knew the ins and outs of the academy. I had no idea what to expect or how to achieve my goals and she answered all the questions I was afraid to ask, helped me make the connections I needed to grow, and is still a vital part of my mentor system. From there I went to UNC-Chapel Hill, where the Classics Dept allowed me to branch out into Anthropology and fostered my interests in multidisciplinary studies. Several of the faculty there were also First-Gen and understood where I came from as a person and scholar.  

What advice would you give a FGLI student just entering our field?

Ask questions always! You don’t know what you don’t know, and it never hurts to clarify and/or ask for help. You will be surprised how many others in the room have the same question, but may also be apprehensive to ask. Too often academia fosters an idea of ‘fake it until you make it’, but that will only work so long. Your teachers and mentors are there to help, and they won’t know you need it unless you ask. The same is true for funding! The university has many pots of money earmarked for specific purposes. Don’t be afraid to ask about funding opportunities, many of these internal awards/fellowships receive few to no applicants each year.