“I cannot adequately explain how their careful guidance helped me develop as a scientist, student and person, but I will be forever grateful for the experiences and advice they provided.”

- Jessica Garber, reflecting on the anthropology faculty at VCU

Jessica Garber graduated from VCU in the spring of 2004 with not one, not two, but three degrees; one each in Anthropology, Chemistry and Sociology. Thus, it rings all the more poignant to hear this aspiring chemist pursuing a PhD at Texas A&M University say that, “my anthropology degree has afforded me more understanding, appreciation and advancement in the world than the courses (in other subjects) that I originally thought would get me further in my career.” While she of course appreciates the cultural sensitivity and holistic perspective instilled through the study of anthropology, she feels that even as a “hard scientist” much of her success can be attributed to the foundation laid during her anthropology courses at VCU, which she says, “taught me the skills I am currently using now.”

She remarks that during her undergraduate years it was the anthropology faculty that took the time to help her chart a career path that suited her goals and interests, and then gave her the tools and experience to accomplish such a lofty task. Citing the emphasis in graduate school on writing papers and research proposals, Jessica acknowledges a tremendous debt to the seven writing-intensive anthropology courses and the research design class that she undertook as an undergraduate in order to hone her writing skills. Two of her anthropology professors also worked in conjunction with the chemistry department to help Jessica develop an individual research project that was tailored to her specific interests. These experiences have contributed to a self-driven work ethic and hard-earned scientific proficiency that she says allows her to take on the demands of grad school with relative ease.

After receiving her PhD in chemistry, Jessica says that she would like to also pursue a PhD in anthropology in hopes of one day “contributing to the field”.

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