Rachel Latham

Major: Anthropology; Minor: Classical Studies 

Field Archeologist, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. 

1.) How did you learn about this internship opportunity? 

I learned about this opportunity after attending the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) annual conference in Indianapolis last fall. I heard about this conference from a department-wide email that was sent out by one of the Anthropology professors. While there, I met many professionals who work in the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) industry and was encouraged to reach out. After the conference, I emailed some of the people I met inquiring about internship opportunities, and CEC was one of the companies I heard back from.

2.) How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals?  How do you apply your Liberal Arts skills to your internship?  

Many anthropology and archaeology students end up working in CRM after graduating, doing professional archaeology. I knew that was the case before this internship, but I did not know if it was something I was interested in pursuing myself. This internship has been very helpful in answering that question as well as teaching me the skills and tasks that come with working as young CRM professional. At my internship, I was surrounded by other young archeologists as well as older professionals, therefore giving me access to a wide array of expertise and advice. Being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue has supported me at my internship because I have learned much about archaeology, professional writing, and problem solving from my classes. My prior knowledge and experience regarding American archaeology and archeological field methods are definitely part of the reason I got this internship. The Anthropology department here is wonderful and full of much support. I knew if I needed anything at all during my internship, I could always turn to my professors for help.

3.) What is a piece of advice you would give someone looking for an internship?  

I would advise that you start looking early, make as many connections as you can, and go the extra mile to find an internship. There are internships out there, you just have to take the time to do the research to find them! I know job searching can be exhausting, but it is so worth it in the end. I would also advise you to start looking early, as early as you can, for internships. You will be thanking yourself when you are slammed with work at the end of the semester, but you know you have an internship already in the bag.

4.) What specific responsibilities have you undertaken during your internship?

During this internship I have been assigned several different tasks. My work has consisted of a mix of office, field, and lab work. In the office, I have mainly been working to complete “records checks” reports. These are reports that discuss the potential impacts that a client’s project will have on nearby historical or archaeological sites. Records checks follow a specific format and include recording all nearby sites and buildings and assessing various historical and aerial maps. These checks help to prepare us for field work, but they mostly serve to inform the client of important resources and Section 106 compliance prior to construction. Field work consists of actually going out and checking the project area for any unknown cultural resources. We assess the land through various survey methods such as pedestrian surveys or digging shovel test probes at even intervals throughout the site. Lab work consisted of assisting in cleaning, sorting, bagging, and cataloging artifacts.

5.) In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participating in our job-ready program specifically aided your professional development? 

The College of Liberal Arts at Purdue has supported my internship journey in multiple ways through both financial support and ample access to resources. If it weren’t for CLA Anthropology faculty, I would not have been able to find this internship. I also have been able to rely on my advisor and professors for sound advice when I was debating between different internship opportunities. I like how the College of Liberal Arts here at Purdue is a smaller community that comes with its own resources and scholarships for its students. The Job-Ready scholarship program has aided in my professional development mainly through supporting me financially. Alongside that, I have gotten consistent support from the CLA Career Center staff. This has been so much fun to participate in and I have enjoyed curating digital media for the scholarship program.

6.) Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in this program that you find particularly noteworthy? 

A standout aspect of my internship experience has been getting to travel with my company. I have gotten to leave Indiana and travel to Pennsylvania several times in order to conduct archaeological investigations. It has been so much fun getting to travel with my coworkers and hang out in the hotel after a long day of field work. It has also been a lot of fun taking photos/curating digital media for the Job-Ready scholarship program. I have gotten lots of cool shots of myself in the field working!