At the beginning of the school year I had an idea of what I wanted to do for a career but I was never fully satisfied. I had my heart set on being a veterinarian and I had done so much research on the career that I manipulated myself into believing that I truly did want to do that for my entire life, mid sophomore year of high school I found out a lot about myself and realized I only wanted to be a veterinarian because of the science. I wanted to make vaccines to help animals because one thing that’s never changed is my love for animals. At some point, I went to a career fair and for the first time I heard of a career called “Forensic Science” I was intrigued and did more research on it, I then decided this is what I’ve been wanting to do. You’re probably wondering why this is important, it’s because there’s a lot of people out there that think working or having a career isn’t for them but in reality they just haven’t found the right one yet. This is important to me because my career choice is a part of my identity.
Archaeology has benefited my career decision because it’s helped me realize my love for science. It’s also helped me see the different career paths I can take in the science field. I blindly walked into this program called Linking Southwest Heritage Through Archaeology (LSWHTA), I tried doing research on the subject of archaeology but it never made sense to me. You’re probably wondering “Well, why’d you sign up then?” Curiosity. Plain curiosity. I’m an introvert so this is out of my comfort zone but a wise person once told me “The only way to grow is by getting out of your comfort zone.” That person is my mother.
I’ve learned many new things in this program regarding careers in science and history. Hiking through mountains such as these has been soothing to the soul because not only did we learn new things, we also exercised while looking at interesting monuments.
This program has taught me many things not only regarding history but also new terms and vocabulary that people used to use back then. This experience has definitely brought out the adventurous part of myself that I didn’t know existed.
Not only did I learn about science and history, I also learned about ceramics and pottery and the difference between them. Surprisingly, we also learned about architecture. Never thought I’d show an interest in architecture.
I was never a big fan of history, as a matter of fact I was never educated on the importance of knowing our world’s history. But being here has made me realize that history is all around us, we just have to be open minded enough to actually look and learn from what we see.
I not only learned about the importance of history and science, I also learned about the habitat of certain animals whom we came across on our trip to the Grand Canyon. I also learned about trees and the importance of their rings, this experience has been nothing but a learning experience. And I don’t mean just regular learning I mean spiritually and mentally. I learned a lot about my identity and how I genuinely love being in nature and being with animals. I learned about boundaries with animals and nature. When I say nature I mean not just trees or grass or plants. I mean water, rivers, lakes, etc. I now know where certain rivers or lakes or waterfalls are in certain areas.
When I was told that I’d learn and figure out more about myself, I didn’t believe it. I thought that I already knew everything about myself so what was the point of joining the program. I tossed aside the application but then I got to thinking and realized I only knew the basics, you know things like what’s my favorite color, food, style of clothing, etc. I read more into archaeology and none of it made sense, but again history never made sense to me so I wasn’t surprised. As I said before, I learned more about history through this program in a way that made sense to me. I love science, not really the math part but the curiosity part. My mind is like a puzzle, I wonder why certain things are the way they are and science answers it for me. Nature is a big role regarding science and being out there, soaking it in is soothing for the soul, hence why I like it so much.
All my life I’ve been conflicted with the thought of never finding out who I am hence why I’m here. It’s sad to see the ending of my experience with these lovely enthusiastic people but it’s time to go out and take what we’ve learned with us into the world. Truth is, I’m a growing person just like all of you. I now know the importance of my heritage and where I came from. I am extremely thankful for my family for which they showed me my cultures and why our culture is the way it is.
The places we have visited have been nothing if not beautiful and informative. Every culture is different and beautiful in its own way. That’s an important fact that I believe everyone should know.
If anyone were to describe me in one word it’d be: curiosity. Never really knew if that’s a good or a bad thing, but this experience has showed me that I should embrace it. Obviously I’m not going to walk into a lions den just because I’m curious. I’ve always been ashamed of how I think so I suppressed certain thoughts that I thought were stupid. Many don’t understand my love for science so allow me to explain. Science makes me feel normal about the way I think and feel about certain things. Some people have others that help them in that way, I have science. Doesn’t get much simpler than that. I like learning from mistakes, whether it’s others mistakes or my own. You’d be surprised how much you can learn from others.
This program has brought me out of my shell a bit so I want to say thank you so much for this opportunity because I probably would’ve stayed in my room being a hermit crab if I hadn’t participated.
I’m sure I can speak for all of those who participated when I say we are all much closer to each other compared to the beginning. We all learned new things, and had new experiences together. Couldn’t be more proud of everyone in this group. Keep growing!
Credits:
Created with images by jarmoluk - "car volkswagen old" • mirkosajkov - "veterinary blood pressure pressure measurement" • kkolosov - "analysis biochemistry biologist"