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Spotlight on UNT Graduates
This section spotlights UNT graduates who have gone on to a variety of interesting careers.
| Katie Carnahan | |
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Katie graduated in June 2003 and
went to Japan to travel and teach English. Here is an excerpt from an
email sent to UNT at the start of her stay: I`m now in Tottori, surrounded by bamboo forests, pear orchards and rice paddies, the big open ocean, and lots of Japanese folks! I found out that Tottori city is the smallest city in Japan, and I`m about an hour and a half outside of that. It`s still a little overwhelming right now, and I`m receiving information much faster than I can retain it. And alas, if only I could speak Japanese, maybe it wouldn’t take half a day and the combined efforts of five people to communicate one question… I have to prepare a speech to give tomorrow morning at the town hall before the mayor and other official types. But I`ll tell you this, I am eating WELL! Sushi, yakitori, egg tofu, miso soup, and today`s new dish okonomiyaki!
This picture is my friend Kazuko and me at a temple
that was built in 706. |
| Mollie Callahan | |
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I am a third year linguistic anthropology Ph.D.
student at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor. I have a B.A. and
M.A. in anthropology and have additional training in botany,
linguistics, and developmental psychology. My research interests
include the political economy of language, the social and cognitive
bases of biological reasoning, and the relationship between novice and
expert medical practice. My IIE Fulbright award is being used to
conduct preliminary dissertation research on the relationship between
ethnomedical knowledge, medical expertise, and discursive practices
among Kallawaya healers in the Province of Bautista Saavedra,
Department of La Paz, Bolivia. The Charazani region, in which the
majority of these healers reside, is a Quechua-speaking island in a
predominately Aymara-speaking area. Kallawaya medical specialists are
distinguished from other Andean healers (by locals and professional
scholars alike) on the basis of distinctive linguistic behaviors,
itinerant medical practices, and a malleable tradition, which actively
incorporates highland and lowland botanicals and curing techniques. As
a linguistic anthropologist, I am primarily interested in these
features of Kallawaya medical practice as they relate to contexts in
which expert knowledge is acquired and disseminated, as well as their
creative employment in constituting and institutionally reinforcing g
the distinction between medical specialists and non-specialists in the
Bautista Saavedra region. (written 2004) |
| Susan Riley | |
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My name is Susan Riley and I graduated from the University of North Texas in 1999, with a BA in Anthropology. Since leaving, I've been working for the Operations part of Bank One. I began working there 6 years ago as a way to help pay for school, but since vesting so much time and experience to the job, I decided to stay on after graduation.
You wouldn't think that you could apply one to the other, but I have found that with what I learned from the anthropology courses, I am able to relate better with those I work with.
Bank One is a huge corporation with thousands of employees from different nationalities and cultures. Understanding that these differences can and do effect working relationships and how things get done, can greatly improve the work place.
I would like to continue my anthropology education eventually, but for now I am applying what I learned to everyday life and experiences. (written 2003) |
Susan Brady
As Community Education Coordinator at Legal
Assistance for Seniors I am responsible for community outreach,
planning and presentation of community education events to reach
over 2,700 members of the public a year. I produce a quarterly
newsletter with a circulation of 3,500 and oversee state and federal reporting. I
assist with coordination and training of our 25 volunteer counselors.
As our client base is enormously diverse, in terms of ethnicity,
language, age, socio-economic status and literacy rates, I constantly
utilize the tools my study of anthropology gave me. Each time I approach a new
group to make a presentation or create educational materials I must assess
the best way to communicate effectively. Anthropology makes us aware of
the fact that people view the world and process information differently
depending on their specific experience with enculturation. I could not
successfully reach those in need if I had not studied anthropology.
(written 2003)
Tracy Lea
My background in anthropology has enabled me to work in a broad
spectrum of professions including
international development, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and
environmental work. As Environmental Manager for the City of Dallas, one
of my job duties is to build and expand upon the environmental and health
profiles of various communities throughout Dallas. I have utilized my
background in anthropology, specifically applied anthropology, for
assessing the environmental and health impact of business and industry
operations on residents located in those communities. This includes
documenting the needs and assets of the neighborhood and analyzing past
and current environmental issues. This approach can be applied to any
model to improve the economic disparities in low-income and minority
neighborhoods and to enhance city services for those residents.
(written 2003)
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