Photo Credit: Student Spotlight Autumn Twohig
Mon, 11/27/2023 - 11:21

Major: Anthropology

Minors: Latin and Archaeology
Hometown: Omaha, NE

Year: Junior

Favorite Book:
My favorite book now would have to be The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I read this book in sophomore year of high school and it's my favorite because of all the different perspectives that are provided and how realistic the descriptions were, it's like you could feel the emotions through the main characters thoughts. Although it's a fiction book, the story is something I'm sure many younger people in the United States could relate to, in many different aspects.

Favorite Movie:
My favorite movie is Little Nemo's Adventures in Slumberland, I watched the movie when I was very young and there's something so nostalgic about the movie when I watch it now. I also really like horror/paranormal movies, but I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite among all the ones I've watched.

Why Anthropology?
I chose to study Anthropology because I have always been interested in all that the world has to offer, specifically about humans and the environment. Anthropology is also a very wild field of study with many options of emphasis and career options, which has always been something that I've been interested in because I enjoy learning about almost everything. I chose archaeology as a minor because it's a large aspect of anthropology and learning about the past. I chose Latin as a minor because my college requires a language requirement I needed to fill, and it's only a few more classes to make it a minor. I also enjoy learning how similar Latin is to some English terms, as well as it is said that being fluent in Latin will make it easier to study other languages with Latin roots in the future.

The most interesting classes I have taken are ANTH 412-Family, Marriage and Kinship, and ANTH 435-Heritage Resource Protection and Management. ANTH 412 was very interesting because you learn about different norms in societies, and our class had a seminar which allowed us to further our understanding (and sometimes even biases) about different aspects of kinship within different societies. ANTH 435 was a class I took hoping to learn more about cultural resource protection, but it helped me navigate more with what I want to do in the future as a career. You learn a lot about CRM (Cultural Resource Management), laws that can be important to know when going into a field with anthropology, and career options.

Extracurricular Involvement:
On campus I am involved in TRIO Scholars, NCPA/TFIOE, and the Honors Program. TRIO Scholars is a great resource for freshman as they have many events and seminars that offer on-campus resources and life, social, and career opportunities. Within NCPA/TFIOE I work as a mentor to high school students, and it has provided me a lot of opportunities to try new things and help high school students have a smoother transition into college.

The Honors Program has helped me challenge my thinking in some of the classes and the advisors are a great resource to help students figure out what path they might want to pursue after college. These three extra-curricular experiences are great resources for freshman and have helped me feel a little more comfortable about deciding what I want to do in the future and have definitely kept me busy!

I have done one internship with UNL, with the class ANTH 292: Stitching Culture: US-Japan Quilt Exhibit Collaborative. The point of this class was to curate a museum exhibit with help from international students from Japan. Overall, it was a great experience to meet people of a different culture than mine and has helped me understand the ins and outs of working in a museum workplace.

Post-Graduation Plans:
After graduation, I am thinking about pursuing a master's degree in Anthropology and gaining more field experience through internships and hands on classes. Since the Honors Program requires a senior project/thesis, it would help me get into a good graduate school and further my education and experiences before going into the work force.