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Inside this issue:
Letter from the Chair 2
Field schools/Welcome Dr.
Laura Hauff 3
Faculty Notes 4-6
Dean’s List/Anth Banquet 6
Faculty Publications 7
Student Field notes 8
Alumni Reflections/Mailbag 9-10
In this issue: The Anthropologist devotes the lead section to reports from
two anthropological field schools offered by our faculty.
During the first summer session, Dr. Panich taught an
archaeological field school here on the SCU campus. The
excavation focused on the remnants of an adobe barracks
that was home to Native Americans at Mission Santa
Clara de Asís from the 1790s to the 1830s. The crew in-
cluded eight visiting students from across the country, as
well as three SCU Anthropology majors: Helga Afa-
ghani, Whitney Miller, and
Cameron Waggoner (all Class
of 2013). Recent SCU Anthro-
pology alumna Nicole
Mathwich (Class of 2012)
served ably as the crew chief.
Over the course of five weeks,
the students uncovered several
American-period trash pits of
various vintage, the stone foundations of the
mission-era structure, domestic midden associ-
ated with the barracks, and a deep pit dating to
the mission period that contained several hun-
dred shell beads, among other interesting finds.
Not surprisingly, given that they were excavat-
ing the remains of a Spanish-style structure, the
crew also unearthed over 2,000 pounds of teja
(terracotta roof tile) fragments over the course of the field
school!
Despite the hard labor and arduous wet-screening--not
to mention the blazing sun and soaring temperatures of
summer in Santa Clara--the field school was a great suc-
cess. Remarked Helga Afaghani, “Getting up early to
spend eight hours in a dirt hole doesn't sound very excit-
ing, but I really enjoyed it.” Dr. Panich hopes to make the
campus field school a regular course offering.
Students in Intro to Archaeology will be processing
materials throughout the year, and Helga and Nicole will
be presenting on aspects of the fieldwork and preliminary
analysis at the 2013 Society for California Archaeology
and Society for American Archaeology meetings respec-
tively. Check out photos from the field and the lab on the
new SCU Archaeology Facebook page: https://
www.facebook.com/SantaClaraArchaeology
Students excavating the site
and some of the findings (shell
beads).
The Anthropologist Focus on Field Schools
Santa C l ara
Univer s i t y
Volume XI I I
Win te r 201 3
All of our faculty members continue to be extremely ac-
tive in both their campus and scholarly activities. Dr. Luis
Calero continues his dedication to the Jesuit goal of edu-
cating the whole person as Bannan Fellow at the Ignatian
Center for Jesuit Education, teaching in Colombia, leading
immersion trips to El Salvador and dedication to teaching
cultural anthropology to SCU undergrads. He spent part of
the fall quarter researching the cultural adjustment of US
deportees returning to Latin America. Dr. Gregory Gul-
lette has continued his long-term research on rural-urban
migrants in Thailand and is successfully overseeing the
Anthropology internship program. Dr. Mary Hegland is on
the eve of publishing her book on political culture and the
1979 revolution in an Iranian village. Dr. Lisa Kealhofer
continues doing much more (see above) than seems hu-
manly possible with regard to teaching, campus archaeolo-
gy, research, and campus leadership. Dr. Lee Panich began
a new SCU archaeology field course during the summer
(front page) while continuing research using archaeologi-
cal data and oral histories in Baja California, Mexico.
The 2012 Anthropology and Sociology Research Confer-
ence was the highlight of the spring quarter! We invited
Dr. Agustín Fuentes to discuss his career in anthropology
and he managed to convince us all that we could have a
future in academia if we so
desired (Talk titled: “Busting
myths, pushing boundaries,
and proving yourself wrong: a
few notes from the life of a
research junkie”). Dr. Fuentes
spoke of teaching, research,
and having a life (for him this
means producing horror mov-
ies on the side) outside of our
‘jobs’. The conference fea-
tured 57 student presentations,
with nine presentations by SCU Anthropology majors.
Our students remain particularly active and have many
exciting events planned for the year. Keep up to date on
their events, achievements, publications, pictures, faculty
activities, alumni activities, and relevant campus events on
our new Facebook page (www.facebook.com/
SantaClaraUniversityAnthropology). Please update us
with your information so that we can feature you in future
newsletters.
Best wishes for a Happy New Year,
Michelle
Michelle Bezanson
Associate Professor & Department Chair
This is my first letter for the
newsletter as department chair
and I am happy to report that
at this time I have not yet de-
stroyed SCU Anthropology.
We have many exciting things
to discuss so I will try to keep
this as concise as possible.
First, a big double CON-
GRATULATIONS are due to
Dr. Lisa Kealhofer the next
time you see her. First, she was promoted to full professor due
to her piles of publications, her excellent leadership of the de-
partment for the past six years (a disproportionately lengthy
term), her continued dedication to teaching and student suc-
cess, and her commitment to campus, local, and world archae-
ology. Second, she received the University Award for Recent
Achievement in Scholarship. This is awarded to one SCU fac-
ulty member each year for making significant contributions to
their field for the past five years. In the awards ceremony
Provost Dennis Jacobs remarked: “Lisa Kealhofer demon-
strates the power of interdisciplinarity to shed new light on
long-standing questions. An expert in identifying things that
are so small that they can be seen only with a microscope, our
colleague then links them to the big questions of how cultures
develop and decline”. We are extremely proud of Lisa’s com-
mitment to SCU archaeology and anthropology.
Dr. Lorna Pierce was also honored with an award. Hendrix
College awarded Lorna with the Odyssey Medal, awarded: “to
alumni whose personal professional achievements exemplify
the values of engaged liberal arts and sciences education”. Lor-
na was honored for her engaged research, excellence in teach-
ing, and her work as a consultant in the Santa Clara County
Medical-Coroners Office.
We are also very happy to welcome Dr. Laura Hauff, a biocul-
tural anthropologist to the department. Our very popular in-
structors, Dr. Matthew Jobin, Dr. Sangeeta Luthra, and Dr.
Lorna Pierce continue to intrigue students in the classroom
with their diverse course offerings in cultural and biological
anthropology.
Sadly, this academic year marks the retirement of Dr. George
Westermark. Dr. Westermark was committed to SCU Anthro-
pology for the past 32 years and led the department to becom-
ing a free-standing major with a large cohort of dedicated stu-
dents and faculty. He is an active scholar and contributor and
has been widely cited in the anthropology of law, conflict reso-
lution and colonialism with publications in Ethnology, Ocean-
ia, Journal of Legal Pluralism, Law and Anthropology, and in
several edited volumes. During spring 2012, we learned that
Dr. Westermark had been granted the title of Professor Emeri-
tus at Santa Clara University, a well-deserved honor. His re-
tirement will likely involve traveling with his wife Kimberly,
The Ashland Shakespearean Festival, hiking, and fishing.
Letter from the Chair The Anthropologist Page 2
During second
summer session
2012, Michelle
Bezanson taught
the Primate Be-
havioral Ecology
and Environmen-
tal Biology in the
Tropics field
courses. Seven
students from four departments participated in the
course and presented some excellent research at our
final symposium. Field course alumni Elisa Phillips
(Biology, 2012), Danica McGuire (Anthropology,
2013), Aaron Thom (Biology, 2010), and Carly
Zipper (Anthropology, 2013) retuned to the field
site for two months during summer and have sub-
mitted abstracts for the American Association of
Physical Anthropology meetings in April 2013.
Some highlights from this summer were guest
speakers/instructors Paul Garber and Sean Watts,
observing a mother and baby sloth, steak at La
Esquina de Buenos Aires, Modesto’s snake story,
and our efforts to clean up the forest. We also
learned that future primatologist, Allison McNamara
(Anthropology and Environmental Studies, 2015) cannot
say the word ‘walrus’. An additional highlight was pre-
senting Primavera school children with shoes, crayons,
and paper for their upcoming school year.
Research projects from the 2012 field courses:
Cleeton, Kalea (Env. Science, 2013): Foraging strategies and seed
dispersal of Cebus capucinus in a Costa Rican tropical forest.
Cooke, Michael (Management, 2014): Mantled howler (Alouatta
palliata) foraging ecology and conservation strategy.
DiCicco, Arianna (Env. Studies, 2013): Feeding and foraging behav-
ior and seed dispersal experiment of Alouatta palliate in the neotrop-
ics of Costa Rica.
Gate, Gregory (Bioengineering, 2014): Examining butterfly popula-
tions in undisturbed and degraded ecosystems.
Kurtz, Kristine (Anth, 2014): Prehensil-tail use during foraging &
positional behavior in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) at
Estacion Biologica La Suerte.
McNamara, Allison (Anth and Env. Studies 2015): Juvenile social
behavior: how do white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) learn the
social behaviors necessary for group living?
Powell, Nicole (Anthropology, 2013): Cebus capucinus social behav-
ior: cooperation vs. agonism.
Continue: FOCUS ON FIELD SCHOOLS
Page 3 Volume XIII
Welcome Dr. Laura Hauff
The Department of Anthropology enthusiastically welcomes new assistant
professor Dr. Laura Hauff to our faculty. There are several reasons why this
is particularly wonderful for SCU anthropology. First, Dr. Hauff is a biocul-
tural anthropologist who examines the interplay between biology and culture
in influencing breast-feeding patterns in the United States. She integrates
behavioral observation, sophisticated lab techniques, and interview data to
determine how maternal health and individual attitudes might influence peri-
natal outcomes, particularly breastfeeding. This approach and topic is espe-
cially exciting for students interested in both cultural anthropology and biological anthropology and is cur-
rently a ‘hot’ topic in Anthropology and in popular culture. Second, Dr. Hauff’s courses will complement
and strengthen our anthropology and public health degrees at SCU. She brings an intriguing, timely perspec-
tive and will provide many undergraduate research opportunities in her maternal and infant health lab. Third,
Dr. Hauff is advising the SCU Anthropology Club. She and the student club officers have many fun and in-
formative activities planned for the 2012-2013 academic year. Dr. Hauff received her BA in Sociology at
College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, St. Joseph, MN, and an MA and PhD in Anthropology at the
University of Minnesota. She was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at
Cornell University. She has published in the American Journal of Human Biology and presented at this
year’s American Anthropological Association national meetings in San Francisco in November.
The Anth Club is proud to announce the creation of a permanent presence for Santa Clara Anthropology on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/SantaClaraUniversityAnthropology Be sure to “like” the page to keep up with important announce-
ments from the department, student activities, alumni achievements, faculty research, and other anthropology news items.
Anth Club Events The Anthropologist Page 4
Faculty Notes
Justice Conference to be held at Creighton Universi-
ty, August, 1-4, 2013.
Luis attended the Religious Education Congress held in
Los Angeles, where he partici-
pated in workshops and lec-
tures addressing the role of the
churches in working with im-
migrant populations in
the U.S. and in shaping gov-
ernment policy. Along with
students on campus, he was
also involved in the "mock
wall display" on campus which
mimicked the construction of the wall separating the Unit-
ed States and Mexico. The purpose of this display was to
educate the academic community regarding immigration
and particularly some of the myths that accompany
the growing anti-immigration sentiment in some parts of
the country.
In late June he traveled to Ireland where he met with Jesuit
friends working on immigration issues in Europe. This pro-
vided an opportunity to do some sight-seeing in beautiful
Western Ireland.
During the past academic year Dr. Gregory Gullette ex-
panded on his research in Mexico and Thailand, while also
continuing to work on a collaborative project with Santa
Clara’s Environmental Studies Institute that examines food
justice issues in Santa Clara County. He also worked with
a few students examining transnationalism in the Bay area.
Gregory continued his collaboration with colleagues in
Mexico researching tourism development in Oaxaca, which
resulted in a publication in the International Journal of
Tourism Anthropology. Most significantly, through a fac-
ulty development leave grant, he conducted nearly six
months of ethnographic research in Thailand’s Samut
Prakan and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces. During this
time he collected preliminary ethnographic data for a larger
three year comparative examination of peri-urbanization in
Thailand’s central and northeast regions.
Dr. Michelle Bezanson had an excellent year at Santa
Clara University. First, and probably most importantly, she
was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor. She is
ecstatic that she will be able to spend many more years as
an SCU anthropologist.
She published her research
on tree truthing (see last
year’s newsletter) in the
American Journal of Physi-
cal Anthropology. In addi-
tion, she published a paper
on prehensile-tail use in the
American Journal of Primatology. Even more exciting than
the publication is the appearance of her artwork on the cov-
er of the August issue of AJP. She continued to teach clas-
ses in Biological Anthropology, Primatology, and Popular
Culture. Michelle is currently bragging about the success
of her student assistant researchers, Carly Zipper, Aaron
Thom, and Elisa Phillips who collected over 200 hours of
behavioral data on capuchin plant pruning this during sum-
mer 2012. They will be presenting results at this year’s
AAPA meetings in Knoxville, TN. Michelle looks forward
to a great year connecting with faculty, students, and alum-
ni on topics anthropological and beyond!
As in years past, Fr. Luis Calero took a group of ten SCU
faculty and staff on an immersion to El Salvador over the
summer break. The group met with students from Santa
Clara's Study Abroad Program (Casa de la Solidaridad)
who attend classes at the local Jesuit University (UCA)
while working closely with the poor.
In the Fall, he coordinated Santa Clara's Western Conver-
sations delegation. The group traveled to Regis University
in Denver, Colorado, where it discussed the topic of
"Teaching Ethics at Jesuit Universities." With the help of
the various deans and the office of the Provost, Fr. Calero
also was involved in preparing the text of the “Jesuit Exa-
men,” a campus-wide conversation and assessment on
well we are implementing a mission and vision of a “faith
that does justice” across university life. A summary of
these conversations will be presented at the next Jesuit
(Dr. Gullette continued)
Data collection was
hampered in some cases
due to Thailand’s 2011
monsoon season, which
sadly flooded most of
the northern, northeast-
ern, and central regions,
resulting in massive
devastation and disrup-
tions throughout the country. Yet, during this time Dr.
Gullette was also able to publish in the forthcoming
edited volume Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropol-
ogy and the journal Culture, Agriculture, Food and En-
vironment. Lastly, Gregory was awarded a visiting re-
search fellowship in Thailand at Chulalongkorn Univer-
sity’s Social Research Institute for three years.
Dr. Laura Hauff is happy to be the newest addition to
the Anthropology faculty as she has felt welcomed by
all the friendly faces on campus.
She comes here after earning her
PhD at the University of Minne-
sota and a brief postdoctoral fel-
lowship at Cornell University. Dr.
Hauff is a biological anthropolo-
gist whose research takes a bi-
ocultural approach in focusing on
how maternal nutritional status af-
fects breastfeeding outcomes in the
United States. She has a commit-
ment to the Public Health Science
major here on campus as well and is
excited to explore issues at the in-
terface between anthropology and public health. This
year she will present her research at the American An-
thropological Association meeting in San Francisco and
at the Experimental Biology meeting for the American
Society for Nutrition in Boston. It didn’t take Dr. Hauff
long to enjoy teaching Santa Clara students and she
looks forward to initiating a new project in the Bay Area
with their involvement.
Despite more surgery on her dislocated and shattered
shoulder in Fall 2011, Dr. Mary Hegland had a very
active year. She participated in an invited workshop at
the University of Bamberg, Germany on “Beyond the
‘Patriarchal Family’” in December 2011, with her pa-
per, “Women’s Emerging Voices: Gender and Family
Change in an Iranian Village from 1978/1979 to
2003/2008.” After that, she went to Hyderabad, India,
where she participated in the Study of Persianate Societies con-
ference hosted by the Mawlana Azad National Urdu University.
The conference was a rewarding gathering due to the impres-
sive architecture, mixture of cultures and religions, scholars
from the US all the way to India, Tajikistan and China, wonder-
ful food and beautiful women’s clothing, hospitality of the Hy-
derabad hosts, and the strong Persian and Muslim influences in
the city.
Even more importantly than her presentation at the ASPS con-
ference, Mary was able to spend some time conducting re-
search among people of Iranian background living in the city,
through networking with Shi’a Muslims and attending Shi’a
women’s rituals of mourning in their separate, upstairs ritual
(and social) space of the mourning hall for Imam Hussein, mar-
tyred in 680 B. C. A., in present-day Karbala, Iraq.
At the International Society for Iranian Studies Conference, 1-5
August 2012, Istanbul, Turkey, Hegland presented an anthropo-
logical perspective about research challenges and strategies in
Iran and with Iranians at a workshop on Iran research, and or-
ganized and chaired a double panel, with eight papers about
anthropological perspectives on modernization, globalization
and development in rural Iran. She presented her own paper,
“The Decline of Taifeh-keshi (Kinship-based Factional Compe-
tition and Conflict) in an Iranian Village.” Comparing her re-
cent visit to her observations during several months in the city
in 2003, Mary noted that many more religious rituals and activ-
ities have emerged into some public spaces in Istanbul since the
election of an Islamist president in Turkey.
Dr. Lisa Kealhofer spent the first full year in quite a while at
Santa Clara University. She wore two administrative hats dur-
ing the academic year, Chair of the Anthropology Department
and Acting Campus Archaeologist. Unfortunately, these two
‘hats’ kept her from teaching classes. However, over the course
of the year she worked with two excellent students in her lab,
Maxine DeVincenzi and Morris Kim, studying micro-botanical
forms related to millet. Maxine’s research paper on millet do-
mestication in China won her the department’s Anthropology
prize in 2011. She published two papers about her ongoing
research on ceramics and interaction during the Iron Age in
Turkey. In the spring, she was very pleased to find out she was
promoted to Professor. Lisa spent the summer doing fieldwork
in Turkey and enjoying a celebratory trip to Europe, en route to
Scotland where she is on leave in Fall 2012. She is looking
forward to engaging with faculty, students, and alumni on her
return!
Page 5 Volume XIII
continued: Faculty Notes
The Anthropologist Page 6
continued: Faculty & Staff Notes
Dr. Lee Panich enjoyed his first full year on the SCU faculty. In addition to his regular course offerings (Intro to Archaeology
and Historical Archaeology), he taught an archaeological methods and theory course in Spring 2012 in which students were
able to participate in preliminary research at the site of the summer field school (see front page). The field school was one of
the highlights of the year, and required lots of advanced planning and coordination with several campus units. He is currently
enjoying working with students in the Intro to Archaeology class to sort through all of the summer’s exciting finds. In addition
to getting his classes up and running, he is also continuing with his research in Baja California. Lee has been working with his
Mexican colleagues to collect geological obsidian samples along the Gulf of California coast, as well as to analyze archaeolog-
ical specimens in order to illuminate prehistoric trade networks and social relationships. He recently presented on his obsidian
research at a conference in Mexico City.
Dr. George Westermark completed thirty-two years of work at Santa Clara in 2012. His teaching this
year was limited to two courses in the Fall, but he continued in the Winter to serve on the search com-
mittee that brought a new biological anthropologist to SCU. He also was pleased to participate in the
successful tenure and promotion decisions for Drs. Bezanson and Kealhofer. His retirement brings
many opportunities to enjoy new travels and outdoor pursuits with his wife, Kimberly. There is plenty
of time too for exploring his large personal library and all the other good books still unread. He feels
himself blessed to have had a career filled with wonderful students and colleagues during three decades
at SCU, and, most especially, to have shared with them the insights and excitement of anthropology.
Anthropology 2011-2012 Dean’s List
Helga Afaghani ‘13, Ashley Armstrong ‘13, Briana Colon ‘13, Lynsey Cumberford-Palmer ‘14, Katherine Edgecumbe ‘14,
Maroo Kim ‘15, Lauren Kolodziej ‘13, Matthew Stockamp ‘15, Elizabeth Wassmann (minor) ‘13
The Anthropology Banquet
The sixth annual Anthropology Banquet took place in April 18, 2012. We had an excellent turnout of Anthropology majors
and minors who shared a wonderful evening with the faculty and staff at the Adobe Lodge. In addition to a delicious dinner,
the attendees honored the recipients of the 2012 Anthropology Awards and the inductees into the Lambda Alpha society. The
seniors also designed a highly amusing game of Anthropology Jeopardy that pitted faculty members (Professors Gullette,
Kealhofer, and Panich) against one another in the ultimate test of anthropological knowledge (Dr. Panich won...). Dr. Jobin
created the mix CD, featuring songs from the year 1990 when many of the graduating seniors were born.
The Anthropology Award was presented to Nicole Mathwich for her paper entitled “Making Men at Early Santa Clara Col-
lege: A Look at the Gendered Landscaped”. The Father Eugene Buechel, SJ award was given to Micha Brodoff and the Out-
standing Scholastic Achievement was given to Nicole Mathwich.
2012 Lambda Alpha Honors Society inductees
Helga Afaghani
Ashley Armstrong
Briana Colon
Lauren Kolodziej
Kyle Medeiros
Sarah Montgomery
Elizabeth Wassmann
Carly Zipper
Mackenzie Zorkin
Class of 2012 Micha Brodoff
Maxine DeVincenzi
Gabriel Garcia
Kathryn Hughes
Catherine Lasater
Nicole Mathwich
Kyla Moran
Patricia Nevers
Jessica Pereira
Brendan Ruiz
Lydia Shahi
Page 7 Volume XIII
2011-2012 Faculty Publications
Bezanson, M. 2012. The ontogeny of prehensile-tail use in Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata. American Journal of
Primatology. 74:770-782.
Bezanson, M. and M.E. Morbeck. 2012. Future adults or old children? Integrating life history frameworks for under
standing primate locomotor patterns. In: Clancy K, Hinde K, and Rutherford J. (eds.) Building babies: primate
development in proximate and ultimate perspective. Springer Book Series: Developments in Primatology: Pro
gress and Prospects. Pp. 435-458.
Bezanson, M., S.M. Watts, and M.J. Jobin. 2012. Tree truthing: How accurate are substrate estimates in primate field
studies? American Journal of Physical Anthropology 147:671-677.
Hauff, L.E. and Demerath, E.W. 2012. Body image concerns and reduced breastfeeding duration in primiparous over-
weight and obese women. American Journal of Human Biology, 24: 339-349. (invited for peer-reviewed special
issue on “Global Obesity”).
Hegland, M.E. 2011. Aliabad of Shiraz: Transformation from Village to Suburb, from 1978-1979 until 2003-2008. Ant
hropology of the Middle East 6(2):21-37.
Abi-Rached, L., M.J. Jobin et al. 2011. The Shaping of Modern Human Immune Systems by Multiregional Admixture
with Archaic Humans. Science 334:89-94.
Kealhofer, L., P. Grave, and B. Marsh. In press. Scaling Ceramic Provenience at Lydian Sardis, Western Turkey. Jour
nal of Archaeological Science.
Grave, P., L. Kealhofer, B. Marsh, T. Sivas, and H. Sivas. 2012, Reconstructing Iron Age Community Dynamics in
Eskisehir Province, Central Turkey. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. 19 (3): 377-406.
Panich, L.M., A. Porcayo Michelini, and M.S. Shackley. 2012. Obsidian Sources of Northern Baja California: The Known
and the Unknown. California Archaeology 4:183-200.
Panich, L.M. 2011. Continuities in a Time of Change: Lithic Technology at Mission Santa Catalina, Baja California.
Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 45(1&2):13-30.
This past year the Departments of Anthropology and Sociolo-
gy hosted the 39th Annual Western Undergraduate Research
Conference. Organized by Sandra Chiaramonte and Drs.
Gregory Gullette and Marilyn Fernandez, the conference had
57 presenters, coming from such diverse institutions as the
University of the Pacific, Vanguard University, Stanford Uni-
versity, Sonoma State University, among others. Of course,
as noted in the opening letter from Dr. Michelle Bezanson,
we were fortunate to have Professor Agustín Fuentes from
the University of Notre Dame present the keynote address and to have our faculty chair
many of the sessions. We look forward to working with the Sociology Department this
year preparing for the 40th anniversary of the undergraduate research conference.
39th Annual Western Undergraduate Research
Conference
The Anthropologist Page 8
Students’ Notes from the Field
In this new section, we give students participating in field research, internship, or study abroad programs the op-
portunity to describe their experiences in their own words.
Helga Afaghani (2013): SCU Archaeology Field School
In general, I try to avoid hard work. That I found myself voluntarily doing manual labor eight hours a day for six weeks is
as much a surprise to myself as anyone else. This past summer I participated in the archaeological field school on campus;
it is a decidedly less exotic location than where a lot of other students chose to go to fulfill their internship requirement, but
the lessened risk of contracting a tropical disease was nice. And while the field school didn’t give me stronger arms or any-
thing, I did get a great neck tan and a much deeper appreciation of just how much work goes into archaeology. It’s really
not easy. You have to be willing to sweat and bleed and do heavy lifting, none of which are things I enjoy. Despite how
awful I make it sound, it’s actually not so bad. I’d even go so far as to say I enjoyed it. It’s sort of exciting because you
never know exactly what you’re going to find, and sometimes you find some very weird stuff; I was particularly fond of all
the doll parts. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I think maybe it could be for me.
Grace Lehman (2014): Study Abroad in Ghana
I am currently studying abroad in Ghana; it continues to push and pull me in different directions I never knew existed. I
have learned so much about myself my goals, and my dreams. Ghana is a well-developed and stable country in Africa, but
it also has its struggles like any developing country. Sometimes I find myself thinking what would I do for hot water, to sit
next to a fireplace right now and drink some hot chocolate, to drink straight from the tap, but more importantly, why I am
so incredibly privileged in the U.S. and how did that happen? Despite their struggles, it appears that most Ghanaians do not
believe in the word “stranger” because they see everyone as their family and friends, even if they have never seen the per-
son before in their life. This is an aspect of trust within these communities that is warming and calming to the body: a feel-
ing of extreme comfort and safety given by those around you. I value this sense of community and hope that other people
can imitate this kindness to strangers that I see so often here in Ghana.
Sarah Montgomery (2013): Life at Daraja Academy, Kenya
Daraja Academy is the first free, all-girls, secondary school in Kenya. The school provides an education for exceptional
Kenyan girls of poverty, who without Daraja would not be able to continue their education. A major aspect of Daraja is
leadership and women’s empowerment. Not all the girls will go onto university, but if they are strong, powerful, kindheart-
ed leaders in their communities, they will accomplish much in their lives. At Daraja, I have learned that it is not the educa-
tion that changes lives; it is providing amazing girls with an opportunity for an education, which they have blossomed with.
I have now spent 4 summers at Daraja and I will head back to Kenya next fall to work after graduation. While at Daraja, I
work with the girls in the dormitory making sure they are all healthy, happy, and have all their needs taken care of. I also
work with the founders on the day-to-day running of the school in an administrative role as well as coordinating volunteers
who visit campus. For more information visit, www.daraja-academy.org.
Carly Zipper (2013): Two months of primate fieldwork in Costa Rica
Last June, when I tried to describe my summer plans to family and friends, I always came up short. Although I’d been to
La Suerte before as a field school student, I couldn’t even begin to know what to expect from my two-month stay as a re-
search assistant. Now, when asked to describe my summer experience, I still struggle to do it justice. Daily life consisted of
waking up with the sun, hiking into the forest to find monkeys, and collecting data on their behavior for as long as we
could. Even though it was physically exhausting work, I have never felt closer to nature. I’ve always felt that I belong in
the outdoors, and my time spent in the field showed me that this is an essential part of any career I enter. Not only that, but
collecting data for a long-term research project renewed my interest in science. Although I sometimes tire of writing re-
search papers, I can now see that my investment in the study’s final product grows with the time and effort put into data
collection. Not only has this experience helped me to feel more prepared for graduate school, but it’s convinced me that a
career in scientific research will be both challenging and rewarding.
Page 9 Volume XIII
Alumni Reflections Sarah Friend (2005)
How did my anthro major help shape my professional life? As a 19-year-old curious about evolution, I picked up Daniel
Quinn’s “Ismael” during the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, and immediately after putting it down
declared myself an anthropology major. Wanting to find out as much as humanly possible about how we came to be and
where we’re heading, I dove headfirst into my studies. Incredible opportunities soon opened up for me, including getting
grants to spend summers at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. and in Africa; all the while my studies served
as my tour guide, taking my curiosity to new places.
After graduating, I continued to explore. My experiences included teaching elementary school in France, crewing aboard
a sailboat in the Caribbean, working as a cultural educator in museums in New York City, and volunteering alongside a
Quichua shaman in the Amazon – during which time, I met some of the most alive, extraordinary people I’d ever encoun-
tered, people who generously shared with me their interpretation of the world around them, their wisdom, and their soul.
Looking back, this lesson has been the best souvenir – that there is no one “right” way. With this understanding, I
stopped feeling self-conscious for the many trajectories and roadblocks I’d encountered while figuring out my career and
embraced the freedom I’d been given from living what I’d studied. And I’m loving every minute of it. :)
Michael Garcia (2011)
I am currently living in Washington, DC, and participating in a year of service with the Capuchin Volunteer Corps. I
work for an organization called So Others Might Eat which serves the needs of homeless population in the DC metro
area. Today they have more than 30 programs from a daily dining room for the homeless to their own rehab center in
West Virginia. I love living in DC, but I especially love the experience of living in community with our other volunteers.
This past summer I did some freelance research for Jesuit Refugee Service in DC, conducting research and interviews
from those working in JRS on the significance of faith based NGOs in disaster relief. The final result was a preliminary
draft of a paper that will be presented at the next UNHCR Geneva Conference this December. I am very excited that I
had a hand in creating such an important document.
This year is my second year of service. Last year I worked in a program called Red Cloud Indian School Volunteers (a
Jesuit program) on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Red Cloud Indian School serves children and teens
living on the reservation (grades K-12) and focuses on offering a top of the line education asking for no tuition in return
from any of their students.
Alumni Mailbag
Georgina Drew (2000) recently finished her Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with
a Dissertation titled, “’Ganga is Disappearing’: Women, Development, and Contentious Practice on the Gages”. She is
currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the India China Institute of The New School in New York City, where she is coordinat-
ing research on religion and sustainability in the Himalaya, among other projects.
Nina Radovic Fanta (2003) has been teaching in Chile for the past five years in local universities. She has completed an
MA in cultural anthropology and is a PhD candidate working on her dissertation.
Jelena Radovic Fanta (2004) is finishing her PhD in cultural anthropology at the University of California Riverside. She
will be presenting at this year’s American Anthropological Association meetings in San Francisco. Her presentation is
titled: “El País sale adelante, pero un se queda ahí mismo: Seasonality and fragmentation in Chile’s Aconcagua Valley.”
(continued on last page)
Continued: Alumni Mailbag
Nicole Brand-Cousy (2007) is pursuing a MA in Counseling Psychology at the University of British Columbia in Van-
couver, BC.
Natalia Rodriguez (2008) completed a Master’s degree in social development in London and is now considering jobs in
Latin America focusing on community capacity building. In her thesis, Natalia examined empowerment struggles and ap-
proaches to achieve transformative change.
Molly Lasater (2010) has completed volunteer opportunities in public health in Cambodia and France. She is currently
working as a research assistant at Kaiser Permanente where she investigates the early onset of puberty in young girls. Mol-
ly is preparing applications to pursue a Master’s in Public Health.
Annie Murphy-Hagan (2011) is beginning a new position at Head Start as a Family Advocate. She will be managing
casework for 60 families, conducting health and wellness checks, providing parenting classes, and conducting home visits.
Maxine DeVincenzi (2012) is in the Bay Area working at an immigration law firm. She plans on applying for graduate
school in the near future.
Nicole Mathwich (2012) has started a PhD program in Anthropology at the University of Arizona in sunny Tucson. She is
currently developing a research design to continue her work in historical archaeology and integrating zooarchaeological
methods.
We are on the Web:
www.scu.edu/cas/
anthropology
Anthropology Department
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053-0261
Phone: 408/554-2794
Fax: 408/554-4189
E-mail: schiaramonte@scu.edu
Sant a C l a r a Unive r s i t y