Hey, Haley! How did you hear about our program?I read a book in high school called “The Mummy Congress” and I liked their Facebook page and they mentioned the program on it and I decided to check it out and eventually applied about two years later.
What made you interested in our program?
I am pursuing a career in forensic science and spent the majority of my life wanting to be an anthropologist/archaeologist so I felt that this program was very in tune with my interests. I am also Sicilian by heritage so I felt that it was important to understand the death culture of my ancestors since death culture is so important to me.
What are you most looking forward to about our program?
I am most looking forward to visiting the catacombs since I never got the chance to when I visited Italy as a child. I am also looking forward to learning about diet reconstruction since that was one of the first medical applications I learned mummies could be used for. Of course, I am also deeply looking forward to the cultural aspect such as the Cult of the Dead and its associated artwork.
What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
Traveling internationally for the first time without having my parents with me, as well as navigating in areas where there are no English speakers.
What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
I plan on going to graduate school and getting a PhD in forensic science. I’d like to do research on decomposition and hopefully work in the private sector for a while before maybe becoming a professor at a university. I would also like to work on archaeological projects during excavation seasons that involve chances for me to do medical research on ancient human remains.
Is this your first time out of the country?
I lived in Geilenkirchen, Germany for about five years as a child during which time I visited most of the European continent as well as Tunisia, Africa. I spent a lot of time in Italy since my ancestors came from Sicily and Calabria. I have visited Palermo, and the cannoli is delicious.
Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
I took four years of Spanish and many of the verbs are similar but with different conjugation patterns. My concern is that most nouns are completely different in Italian, so I may struggle with that. I will learn basic sentence starters such as “Where is…?” as well as greetings for different times of day and also “Who sells the best cannoli around here?”
Who is your favorite mummy?
How could I ever just pick one? I guess if I have to I would say Rosalia Lombardo. She is truly a gorgeous mummy. Some others include the Incan human sacrifice mummies such as Juanita, Vladimir Lenin because at this point he is basically plasticized which is an incredible feat of modern science, basically any bog bodies because of the soft tissue being preserved which is just fascinating (Tollund Man has a special place in my heart), Lady Dai because she looks like something out of a horror movie now that she has been removed from her resting place which is so intriguing, and lastly Chinchorro mummies (all of them) because anyone with the time and patience to make one is a hero to me.
