Pictured Above: Juliana Kane switched majors her freshman year when she discovered her love for anthropology.
Courtesy of Cozy DeRosa
By Edyn Gottlieb
When Juliana Kane entered college as a political science major, the last thing she expected was to find a new passion – anthropology.
“I took an anthropology class with Dr. (Anna) Dixon and she was just really passionate about her field,” Kane said. “I found myself reevaluating what I wanted to do in the world. It was around that time that the Trump administration was coming into office and a lot of environmental policy stuff that I wanted to get involved in was going down not the best path.”
Kane, now a senior anthropology major minoring in English literature and culture studies, always appreciated the downtown, community-oriented culture in St. Petersburg.
“I personally love the St. Pete campus because it’s smaller,” Kane said. “I’m not a big fan of Greek life or large college life … I like downtown; I like the small community and I like the artistic side of it.”
Kane officially changed her major to anthropology after her freshman year and has since gotten involved with the Anthropology Club.
The structure of the club has changed as a result of COVID-19, so instead of hosting in-person meetings, they have been hosting online seminars where speakers and people from field schools do talks. They also have meetings where they discuss things going on in the department and opportunities within the field.
“I think people don’t realize how many jobs are available within anthropology and how it’s such an interdisciplinary field,” Kane said. “It kind of allows you to find your niche and just focus on a certain culture or a certain aspect of people and their lifestyles.”
Kane’s latest project has been working with the museum methods professor Dr. (Sibel) Kusimba and the Department of Anthropology to create a permanent exhibit at USF St. Petersburg. This exhibit features artifacts donated to the department by a professor from his dissertation in the Congo in 1950.
Kane plans to attend field school after she graduates before going to graduate school.
“I want to focus on museum studies so I’m more interested in the preservation and conservation side of things,” Kane said.
Kane is currently looking at graduate programs in Europe, because she feels their focus is less about coursework and more about real world experience. She hopes this will help her better integrate into the field.
