Anthropology has a lot to offer by Liliana

Anthropology has a lot to offer by Liliana - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

My current major is anthropology with a concentration in human evolutionary biology. However, not too long ago I did not know what I wanted to major in, and I was undeclared. While I was searching, I overlooked the anthropology major because I thought it was only about studying societies and excavating ruins. I ended up giving it a chance and it was one of the best decisions I could have made. I learned that there are four different general categories of anthropology and it is much more complex than what I thought.

I wanted to tell my mother about my options and how I want to pursue a degree in anthropology. She thought that an anthropology degree would not be useful as it is one that people only get when they do not know what they want to do. However, I do know what I want to do; I want to work in forensics or allied health. An anthropology degree has a different reputation as an engineering, business, or chemistry degree. I understand that different degrees can be harder than others, but an anthropology degree should be taken seriously as well.

I want to be able to show people that the anthropology field is not a last resort and that it is not just full of people softly sweeping dust off of bones and tools. It is about language, culture, power, wealth, nature, biology, genetics, evolution, and so much more. It is also a field that opens many doors as it is general enough not to limit a person’s options, such as nursing or education would do. Also, as a minority woman, I can bring diversity to the field. I think it is very important to have diversity as we are in a world that is extremely diverse, and we cannot think outside the box or grow if we only ever see the inside of the box. That is how I want to change the field; show people the truth about anthropology and move it in the right direction through diversity.