Big goal

Ultimately, work for a museum or nonprofit that is about getting community members excited about cultural heritage and cultural property. Also, I’m interested in doing something with antiquities trafficking and raising awareness about that. It’s always in the news, especially with ISIS and the Middle East being at war.

Challenge

The dissertation. That is just a beast. There are times when you’re writing when everything seems like it’s falling apart. That’s when you have a wonderful network of friends to bounce ideas off one another and calm each other down. Now that it’s done, I actually don’t know what to do with myself.

Memory

I got to be part of the study mission when we held the presidential debate. Hearing (the international participants’) experiences and their own election processes in their countries makes you want to be an activist in your own country. Also, I have spent several summers in Cyprus researching with Dr. Alan Simmons. Your first time going (on a research trip) with your advisor is always nerve-wracking. You are in the sun for eight hours a day so personalities come out that are a little different than when you’re at the university.

Biggest surprise

That I actually really like Las Vegas. There is this stereotypical image of the city being only the Strip. There really is this incredible community. We saw that after Oct. 1. I have really come to love the city and its people.