| Areas of Interest |
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Archaeology, Heritage Management and Preservation, Japanese Language and Literature, cultural heritage and identity, Japanese colonial archaeology and heritage management in Korea, decolonization studies, and conservation. |
| Excavation and Fieldwork |
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Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters, Cambridge, MA — Museum Technician
Responsibilities included inventorying, documenting, cataloging, and storing the museum’s collection of artifacts. Other responsibilities included Environmental Monitoring, Integrated Pest Management (IMP), routine cleaning and museum maintenance, and assisting in the installation, repair, and rehabilitation of exhibits.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site, Brookline, MA — Museum Technician
Responsibilities included packing and repacking objects with care, surface cleaning and conservation of walls, objects, and furniture, and assisting in the installation, repair, and rehabilitation of exhibits.
The Buttonwoods Museum, Haverhill, MA — Prehistoric Collections Assistant
Responsibilities included finding, identifying, and inventorying the museum’s collection of prehistoric artifacts. I also conducted historical research and was in charge of cataloging, digitizing, and organizing the entire prehistoric collection. |
| What have you been doing since you’ve graduated? |
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Working with the National Park Service at the Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters and the JFK Historical House. |
| How did your experience in the program shape your professional and personal life? |
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Professionally, the program showed me many pathways of study within the field of archaeology and it allowed me to freely experiment with those pathways and discover what I was truly passionate about. For me I was introduced to the concept of heritage management and preservation very early on in the program which ended up being the pathway I chose to dedicate my life to. Personally, I feel that I was able to find some semblance of who I actually am and who I want to be through the program. I was able to meet, interact with, and be taught by many incredible individuals who became my heroes. One of my deepest wishes is to be able to live up to the expectations of those who nurtured my development, inspired my growth, and pushed me to be the person I am today. |
| What interactions with members of the Archaeology faculty did you value most during your time in the program? |
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All interactions with my two advisors Robert Murrowchick and Ricardo Elia were incredibly valuable to me. Professor Elia inspired me tremendously through his own work and instigated my own passion for the stewardship of cultural heritage. It was Prof. Elia who introduced me to the type of work I wanted to do in my professional career, and thanks to him I was able to figure out what my dream job was and how I could work towards that dream to make it a reality. Professor Murrowchick inspired my academic areas of interest and introduced me to topics that expanded my knowledge and helped me formulate what would become my thesis topic. With the help of Prof. Murrowchick, I was able to discover and nurture other research projects that I plan to work on in the future and hopefully publish my findings. |
| If you could give a piece of advice to your past self, what would it be? |
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Don’t wait to get involved and take advantage of the many opportunities for research while at school. Do as many internships, field schools, and volunteer activities as you can in order to give you hands on experience for when you enter the field (having as much experience on your resume as possible is always good, and it doesn’t hurt to start early!). Also, networking is incredibly important; it is worth it to take the time and get to know others that will be your future colleagues! |
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