Jolene Updike Smith began her studies at VCU majoring in history, but after taking an introductory course in archaeology on a whim she realized that she better identified with the more humanistic perspective and was “hooked immediately”. Having graduated in the spring of 2004, she is currently pursuing a Master of Applied Anthropology at the University of Maryland with a concentration in “Anthropology of Heritage”, which requires the application of cultural anthropology analysis to the archaeological record in an effort to focus on civic engagement and community involvement. When asked about her time at VCU, Jolene stresses that the strong foundation she received while taking theory, methods, and research design courses as an undergraduate, and particularly the emphasis on reading and analysis, have proven integral to the postgraduate work that she is doing now.

Perhaps most importantly, however, Jolene feels thankful for having had the opportunity to apply her education to a “real world” environment during her academic career at VCU as an intern at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. There, under the tutelage of Dr. Amber Bennett, she worked for two years with state artifact collections and eventually was promoted to a supervisorial position. The experience proved invaluable and has lead to her employment doing phase I, II, and III CRM (Cultural Resource Management) work throughout the region, as well as a current internship with the National Heritage Areas program of the National Park Service.

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“Your work will only be as interesting as you make it- don't be afraid to let it take you in unexpected directions.”

– Jolene Updike Smith