Sara Withers '99
Major: Anthropology
Where do you currently live? How did you arrive at the geographical location where you are? I live in Waltham, MA, just outside of Boston. I moved to Boston the year after I graduated because I did Americorps VISTA for a year in Boston, and then moved to Waltham because I entered the PhD program in Anthropology and Women's Studies at Brandies University.
What is your current occupation or position? Please describe what you do. I am currently a graduate student at Brandeis. I'm in my third year here, almost finished with course work, and ready to begin my own dissertation research and writing.
Why did you choose this work? I decided to become an anthropologist for a variety of reasons. Going to graduate school and entering academia are great ways to continuously surround yourself with stimulating, interesting people and ideas - you are always challenged and made to think about what you and others are doing. Also, especially now, it is important to have a global perspective on life - both to help one appreciate and respect others' cultures and ways of life, as well as to give you new ways of seeing your own culture - and anthropology is a great way to gain this perspective. Finally, I love to learn about other peoples and places, and I love to travel. I wanted to be able to share some of this excitement with other people, and a good way to do this is through becoming a professor and teaching others about the discipline.
What did you do after graduation? As I said above, I did Americorps VISTA for the year after graduation. I worked at two different organizations in Boston during my time as a volunteer. The first place I worked was an organization that did public policy work for low income housing issues, and the second was a non-profit that worked in schools around the Boston area, teaching a violence prevention/peace and justice curriculum. In this organization I helped another Americorps member teach once a week in a 5th grade classroom, and also helped design and plan afterschool programs for the different schools.
What is the most worthwhile academic/professional experience you have had? Please explain. I think my Americorps experiences were extremely worthwhile for me. Going to college at places like Bowdoin tend to make one forget that there are many other people in the world who are not getting the wonderful opportunities and education that you are, and by working with VISTA in Boston, I was reminded that I need to appreciate the experiences I have had, and work hard to give back something to others who have not been as fortunate.
What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your experiences at Bowdoin? Please explain. Probably the two most important aspects of my time at Bowdoin were writing my honors thesis with Professor Dickey and rowing for the crew team. Writing my thesis was the most challenging academic experience I had at Bowdoin - the most challenging, but the most rewarding as well. I really loved (most of the time!) the research, traveling back to Sri Lanka to do fieldwork, the writing, and working closely with a great professor to create the finished project. I would say that that experience was the main reason that I seriously considered graduate school and a possible career in academia. Rowing was the other most important part of my life at Bowdoin. There is nothing in the world like waking up at 5 a.m. to get out onto the water to practice while the sun rises over the river. Rowing gave me a much needed outlet from the pressures of the academic side of Bowdoin, and created friendships that have lasted much beyond graduation.
Has studying anthropology impacted your perspective (personally, professionally or other)? If so, how? Studying anthropology has broadened my perspectives on the world, and because of the emphasis on cultural relativism within anthropology, has made it easier for me to accept the variety of ways in which people think and act.
Is there a piece of advice you wish someone had offered you while still an undergraduate student in Brunswick? If so, what is this piece of advice? The one piece of advice I would give would be to take advantage of as many opportunities at Bowdoin and in Brunswick as you possibly can. Write a thesis and work closely with a professor, volunteer your time in Brunswick's schools or shelters or hospitals, do theater, sports, or music, go on trips with the Outing Club... just enjoy your time at Bowdoin, because you are probably never going to have so many great opportunities at your fingertips as you do right now.