I was enrolled in Archaeology [ANTH 202], my first class for my Anthropology & Archaeology major, during my first semester. Not only was the class a generally great introduction to my Longwood education, we had an amazing interactive opportunity introduced to us through the course. One day, rather than having class, we all gathered in a field right off of campus and did some firsthand research on atlatl (spear) throwing techniques. This experience directly related to the practices we had been discussing in class, but was an innovative way for us to come as close as possible to actually living it ourselves. I am sure that such an amazing opportunity, only a couple weeks into my time at Longwood, was a strong factor in developing me professionally in my field and helped set me up to be a strong, enthusiastic scholar during my time at Longwood. Also, as this event included all students enrolled in the class and all of the Anthropology & Archaeology professors were there, I was able to connect with so many people I would interact with in the coming years.
During my second year at Longwood I was a part of the Spring semester’s Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry. Although this was my first experience of being in a Student Research Showcase during my time at Longwood, I ended up participating in three classes during that one semester. The courses where I participated in the showcase were: American Masculinities [ENGL: 372]; Gender, Representation, & Culture [WGST 115]; and Sociology of Education [SOCL 320]. Although overwhelming having all of these presentations to handle at once, I found the experience to be surprisingly fulfilling. Not only had I conducted all of this research on my own, but I put together three different presentations (including one 20+ minute presentation) and connected with other members of the Longwood community in the comments section under my prerecorded presentations. Although the showcase had to be held online during the Spring 2021 semester because of COVID, I still found it to be an excellent experience for me to grow professionally. To view my presentations for the Spring 2021 Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry, please use the links below.