Graduates | ANTHROPOLOGY

Graduates of the StFX Department of Anthropology

Adele Martell, 2022

Adele graduated from StFX in 2022 with a BA Honours in Anthropology with a subsidiary in History. She was also one of three recipients of the Clare Fawcett Graduating Anthropology Student Prize and won the Angus L. MacDonald Memorial Scholarship for Celtic Studies. Her thesis research examined the historical and processual variations between American, Canadian, and Commonwealth approaches to the recovery, identification, and reburial of war dead. Following a field school on the Danish island of Bornholm in the summer of 2022, she is pursuing a Master of Science in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology at Cranfield University in England (2022-23).

Mia Kelly, 2022

Mia graduated with a BA Honours in Anthropology in 2022 and was one of three recipients of the Claire Fawcett Graduating Anthropology Student Prize. Her thesis research, under the supervision of her advisor Dr. Mikael Haller, examined the Mortuary Variability in the Parita River valley during the Late Ceramic period (700-1522). Currently, Mia is working as an archaeology field technician in the Yukon for a Cultural Resource Management company where she is participating in several different projects across northern Canada. She is also looking forward to taking part in an excavation in Panama in June 2023 before she pursues her MA in archaeology in the fall of 2023.

Alison Armstrong, 2018

Alison graduated from StFX (2018) with a BA Honours in Anthropology and subsidiary in Women’s and Gender Studies. Following her graduation, Alison moved to Spain for a year and taught English at an alternative education school. She returned to school in the fall of 2019 and is working towards her Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto. She will be specializing in the Social Justice and Diversity stream and in her first year of study will complete a practicum placement in the field of forensic mental health.

Elizabeth Holmes, 2018

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Elizabeth graduated with a BA Advanced Major in Anthropology and Minor in Development Studies. Under the supervision of Dr. Susan Vincent, her major research paper examined the issue of food security through an investigation of local food banks in the Antigonish, NS area. Elizabeth is currently an M.A. student in the Public Issues Anthropology program at the University of Guelph, ON. Her M.A. thesis investigates the intersection of the topics of chronic illness and mothering. Specifically, this project examines the lived experiences of mothers diagnosed with the chronic condition Fibromyalgia. Her research goals are: 1) to contribute to the existing social science literature that discusses the challenges chronic conditions pose to individual self-identity, and 2) to explore the role of support networks in coping and managing chronic conditions, such as Fibromyalgia. Elizabeth plans to complete her M.A. in the Spring of 2020.

Tyler Lecours 2017

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Tyler graduated with a BA Advanced Major in Anthropology and a Minor in Fine Arts. After graduation Tyler return to the United States where he served in AmeriCorps Vista and AmeriCorps NCCC. Currently, Tyler is serving as Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco where he is learning Arabic and working with Moroccan youth. He hopes his experiences in the field will help him achieve his dream of becoming a professor of anthropology and archaeology.

Olivia Ells, 2017

Olivia graduated with a BA Advanced Major in Anthropology with a Minor in Sociology. She plans to use her anthropological knowledge as a lawyer. Olivia is in the Juris Doctor (JD) Program at the Dalhousie Schulich School of Law in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (last updated in October 2017)

Adrienne Ratushniak, 2016

Adrienne received a BA Honours in Anthropology. Her thesis titled, “Neo-tribe Sociality in a Neoliberal World: A Case Study of the Shambhala Music Festival” examined community and individualism at an electronic music festival. An academic paper with the same title will be published in The Journal for Undergrad Ethnography (JUE) Volume 8 Issue 1. (http://undergraduateethnography.org/) After graduation, Adrienne spent a year teaching English as a foreign language at a middle school in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla Province), South Korea. As a Native English Teacher in this co-teaching program, Adrienne helped children with the listening and speaking parts of their lessons. In 2017, Adrienne began a MA in Medical Anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan. (last updated in October 2017)

Kathleen Forward, 2015

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Kathleen received a BA Honours in Anthropology with a subsidiary in History. Her focus at StFX was in archaeology. Her thesis, based on fieldwork completed on Dr. Mikael Haller’s Rio Parita Archaeological Project in Panama, was titled “Investigating Household Activities at Site 174 and the Nature of Social Hierarchy in the Parita River Valley, Central Region of Panama”. Kathleen has been an archaeological field technician for three years, working in Debert, Nova Scotia where she has participated in numerous projects for Cultural Resource Management companies. She also volunteered as an archaeological assistant at the Canso Islands National Historic Site in Nova Scotia. Kathleen is currently an M.A. student in the Anthropology Graduate Program at Trent University in Ontario. She is the recipient of a Trent Research Fellowship, a Bagnani Graduate Award, a Graduate Entrance Award, and a Trent University Archaeology Research Centre (TUARC) Collaborative Grant. In addition, she is a Teaching Assistant in the department. Kathleen’s research is part of the Social Archaeology Research Project (SARP) which is a long-term project, focusing on sociopolitical interaction at the site of Minanha in west-central Belize. Kathleen’s thesis is a settlement study of an ancient Maya agricultural community. This thesis seeks to take a closer look at the families and farmers who inhabited this area, their households, and the ways they responded to social, economic, and political fluctuations in this region. Kathleen plans to complete her M.A. in September 2018. (last updated in October 2017)

Meghann Livingston, 2015

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Meghann graduated from StFX in 2015 with first class honours in Anthropology with subsidiary in History. Her honours thesis, “Mortuary Patterns and Attitudes Towards Death in Nova Scotia: An Analysis of the historic Laurel Hill Cemetery, Pictou County” was inspired by her experience with Dr. Haller’s Archaeology of Death and Burial advanced seminar course. Her undergraduate research is part of the ongoing Nova Scotia Cemeteries Research Project, which explores how changing trends within a cemetery can also reflect changing social norms, values, and beliefs over time. Meghann spent much of 2015-2016 disseminating her honours research (through The Killick, the Broch Collective Cemetery Workshops, and the Chacmool Archaeology Conference) and gaining volunteer field experience (at the McCulloch House Museum in Pictou, NS; the Canso Islands National Historic Site in Canso, NS; and the Colony of Avalon National Historic Site in Ferryland, NL). She was also hired by Kelman Heritage Consulting, a CRM company based in Halifax, with whom she has assisted in several archaeological assessments in Debert, NS. As of September 2016, Meghann is a Master’s student at Memorial University of Newfoundland specializing in Historical Archaeology. For her MA, she is researching 18^th century landscape archaeology in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France.

Janelle Young, 2019

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Janelle received a Melbourne Research Scholarship in 2019 to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Her proposed research will focus on representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australian social work discourse.

Julia Brenan, 2013

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Julia received a BA degree with an Honours in Anthropology. Her thesis titled, "You Work for What? A Comparison Between Two Antigonish Producers and How They Resist or Accommodate Capitalism" examined the production process, labour, sales and marketing of two local Antigonish farmers. After graduation Julia completed internships at Spin Media and IEEE's Pulse magazine both in New York City. Returning home to Boston Julia helped found Parkinson's Fitness, a nonprofit organization for people with Parkinson’s Disease. June 2014 found Julia back in Canada working in cultural resource management for Stantec, Fredericton. During the winter of 2015, Julia worked as an intern at the Center for Archaeological Research on the Caribbean island of Saint Eustatius. There she assisted in the excavation of a former sugar plantation and mapped island fortifications. Julia then travelled to Bursa, Turkey where she participated in Barcın Höyük, an archaeological dig conducted by the Netherlands Institute.

Julia is a currently pursuing a M.A. in Archaeology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her work focuses on community archaeology, memory and place, the archaeology of Labrador in during WW11 and tourism and archaeology. Julia has received numerous scholarships and awards including a SSHRC CGS Master's Scholarship, two NSTP Grants from the Northern Scientific Training Program, and, from Memorial University, the Dean’s Excellence Award, a J.R Smallwood Grant, an Institute of Social and Economic Research grant and a SGS Graduate Fellowship. (Last revised in October 2017)

Siobhan Carlston, 2013

As of May, 2014: MA student, University of New Brunswick

Janelle Young, 2013

Janelle received a BA with Honours in Anthropology. Her thesis was titled “Indian Residential School Commemoration: A Move Toward Mi’kmaq Autonomy or the Same Old Hegemony?” Janelle continued studying anthropology at Dalhousie University where she completed a MA in Anthropology. Her MA thesis was titled: Reimagining M’Kmaq-State Relations Facing Colonialism at the Mi’Kmaq-Nova Scotia-Canada Tripartite Forum”. Janelle was a recipient of a SSHRC MA Scholarship. She is currently studying in Melbourne, Australia. (Last revised in October 2017)

Jean Ketterling, 2011

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Jean received a BA Honours in Anthropology with a Subsidiary in Women’s and Gender Studies. Her thesis was titled “Mediation between mainstream perceptions of feminism and contested sexuality: How Venus Envy gives meaning to sexualities and gender identities”. After graduating from StFX, Jean worked in the field of sexual health and reproductive justice, first at South House, Dalhousie University's gender and sexual resource centre, next as the director of a small sexual health centre in rural Nova Scotia and then as the Executive Coordinator of the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, an international youth-run advocacy and education organization located in Ottawa, Ontario. Jean is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa. She has funding from a 2016 SSHRC MA Scholarship, a 2017 Ontario Graduate Scholarship and a 2017 Chet Mitchell Memorial Award. Her current research focuses on violence, eroticism, BDSM, feminist discourse, and psychoanalysis in digital media, particularly in video games. (Last revised in October 2017)

Katie Pearce, 2011

2014 - Marketing and communications officer, CPSC-Solutions for Growing Economies; MA student (Global Business), University of Victoria

Sunghye Yun, 2010

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Sunghye Yun graduated from StFX University in the spring of 2010 with Joint Major in Anthropology and Sociology. Upon graduation, she moved to Montreal where she studied French for 6 months and then to Whitehorse, Yukon. In Whitehorse, she worked as a substitute teacher at elementary and secondary schools and then was hired as an educational assistant at an elementary school in the following year. In June, 2015, she completed her B.Ed in Primary/Junior Education at the University of Toronto. Sunghye is currently employed as a supply teacher for the Toronto District School Board.

Sarah Anderson, 2010

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Sarah Anderson graduated from St.F.X. in 2010 with a Joint Major in Anthropology and Development Studies. Following graduation, Sarah was a Coady intern and traveled to Kigali, Rwanda to work with a human rights organization for youth. Sarah remained in Rwanda for roughly 3 years working on advocacy projects surrounding good governance, health, and education. Her main focus, however, was to advocate for the incorporation of gender mainstreaming into public policy and government budgeting reforms. She then traveled to the Northwest Territories where she worked as a Community Development instructor at the Aurora College in Fort Smith. Later, she attended Humber College to obtain a post-graduate certificate in International Development and Project Management. Sarah is currently a full-time Master’s student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto where she is pursuing an M.Ed in Adult Education and Community Development with a special focus in global and women’s health.

Morgan Moffitt, 2010

Morgan graduated from the Anthropology Program in the spring of 2010 with First Class Honours and was the recipient of the Reverend Frank Mifflen Award. Her research interests include contemporary indigenous issues, environmental anthropology, and legal anthropology. In particular, she focuses on the relationship between indigenous peoples and the state and natural resource management. While at StFX, Morgan developed a strong interest in both cultural anthropology and archaeology. Under the supervision of Dr. L. Jane McMillan, she completed her undergraduate thesis entitled “The Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq, Restorative Justice and Resource Management: Alternative Models for Managing Fish and Moose Resources.” Her work reveals the obstacles Mi’kmaq face as they negotiate the limits of their power within federal, provincial, and Mi’kmaq jurisdictions in the post-Marshall (1999) decision era. In the summer of 2010, Morgan travelled to Panama to work with Dr. Mikael Haller on the Proyecto Arquelogía Rio Parita (PARP). Morgan completed her MA in Cultural Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, and is now a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Alberta. Morgan is also a Research Assistant with the North West Territories government.

Kerry Prosper, 2009

2014 - Paknekek Band Council member, fisheries advisor, Indigenous healer, cultural educator. 2018 -Inaugural Knowledge Keeper on Campus, St. Francis Xavier University.

Hilary Lock, 2009

Hilary graduated from the StFX Anthropology program with Distinction in 2009, and was the recipient of the Reverend Frank J. Mifflen award. The summer following her graduation, she worked with StFX's own Dr. Haller in Central Panama on the Rio Parita Archaeological Project. Upon her return to Canada, she conducted research in the Halifax Old Burying Grounds in collaboration with Dr. Haller, a project that lasted 2 months. In September 2009, Hilary was hired by In Situ, a CRM company based in Halifax, and worked with them until the spring of 2010. In April, Hilary left for Jordan to participate in a field season of the Shammakh to Ayl Archaeological Survey with Dr. Burton MacDonald of StFX’s Religious Studies department, where she received the MacDonald/Sampson Fellowship from ACOR (American Center for Oriental Research). Hilary was the recipient of the SGS Baseline Scholarship and the F. D. Aldrich Fellowship, and completed her MA in Archaeology at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Alison Roberton, 2009

Alison graduated from StFX University in the spring of 2009 with a major in Anthropology and minor in Studio Art. During the summer of 2009 she travelled to Panama with StFX’s Dr. Haller to participate in field work and lab work for the Rio Parita Archaeological Project (PARP). Following her time in Panama, and further travels throughout Central America, Alison enrolled in Capilano University in Vancouver, BC to study Costuming for the Stage and Screen. She is currently self-employed in stage and costume design in Toronto, ON.

Michele Buckman, 2008

As of May, 2014: MA (Public Policy), Simon Fraser University

Allie Mason, 2008

As of May, 2014: MA (Journalism), Concordia University; Social Media, Video Production, Copywriting in New York City.

Jennifer Arseneau, 2008

Jennifer graduated from StFX with Honours in Anthropology in the spring of 2008. Upon graduating she had the opportunity to work as a student researcher during the summer of 2008 for the Rio Parita Archaeological Project in Central Panama, directed by Dr. Mikael Haller. Upon completion of her time in Panama she moved to Cork City, Ireland to continue travelling. Jennifer would like to explore opportunities for further schooling relating to her interests in museum studies and archaeology around the world.

Ashley DeYoung, 2008

Ashley graduated from StFX in the spring of 2008 with First Class Honours. She participated in the Immersion Service Learning program while at StFX, travelling to the Ancient Mayan region of Mexico. Following graduation Ashley had the opportunity to participate as a researcher in the Rio Parita Archaeology Project, located in Central Panama. She was awarded the SSHRC MA Award, completing her MA in Archaeology at the University of British Columbia. Ashley is currently employed as an archaeologist with TERA Environmental Services, located in Calgary, AB.

Meghann Jack, 2008

Meghann graduated with Honours in the spring of 2008. Her research interests and professional goals lie within the world of museums. During the summer of 2008, she worked as a Collections Assistant at Sherbrooke Village, a part of the Nova Scotia Museum system and the same site where she conducted her undergraduate thesis research. Meghann was the recipient of the SSHRC MA award, and completed her MA in Folklore at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She was also a SSHRC PhD scholarship recipient, and is currently a candidate for PhD in Folklore at Memorial University.

Kenzie Jessome, 2008

Kenzie graduated from StFX in May, 2008. He began his career in anthropology while attending StFX in Nova Scotia; first with the assistance of excavations of an Acadian expulsion village at Grand Pré National Historic Site and fieldwork to help with the geo-cultural reconstruction of an ancient Mi'kmaq Paleoindian site. From here Kenzie conducted numerous field seasons in the central provinces Panama investing the emergence of socially complex (pre-state) societies with Dr. Mikael Haller. Upon graduating from X, he completed his MA in Archaeology (2011) at the University of British Columbia. Following the completion of his Master’s, Kenzie began a career as an Anthropological Consultant providing anthropological, archaeological, osteological, and museum studies consultation for many First Nations communities on the Northwest Coast of Canada, including the Gitxaala Nation, Katzie Band, Seabird, Tsleil-Waututh Nation (formerly known as the Burrard Indian Band) and Sechelt Indian Band. He is a founding partner of In Situ Anthropological Consulting, responsible for overseeing all archaeological projects with the shíshálh First Nation, as well as overseeing a 5-year museology project at the tems swiya Museum on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, which involves the training of aboriginal students in anthropology, archaeology, artifact repatriation, museum curation, display, and collections management strategies.

Nicola Johnston, 2008

Nicola graduated with Honours in Anthropology in the spring of 2008, completing her thesis on the topic of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in the context of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, from an anthropological perspective. During the summer following her graduation, Nicola worked as a reporter for an English language daily in her Quebec hometown. She completed her MA in Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University, with a concentration in International and Development Studies. Nicola is now a Media and Communications professional, having worked in Montreal and Vancouver.

Caylanne Lyall, 2007

Caylanne graduated in the spring of 2007 with Honours in Anthropology and a subsidiary in the interdisciplinary studies of Aquatic Resources. Upon leaving StFX she had the opportunity to work in a variety of heritage education-related locations, invluding provincial parks and museums. Caylanne completed her MA in Archaeology at Trent University, with a focus on paleoethnobotany.

Alison Brown, 2006

Alison graduated from StFX with Honours in Anthropology in the spring of 2006. Following graduation she relocated to Singapore where she taught English and worked at a British International School as a learning support teacher for students with learning disabilities, while travelling around South East Asia in her free time. Alison discovered her niche in plant medicine during her time in Asia and returned to North America in the fall of 2009 with plans to study Western Herbology at the California School of Herbal Studies.

Lori Caughey, 2006

Lori graduated from the Anthropology program in 2006, during which time she was exposed to took numerous branches of the discipline, eventually taking an interest in the field of medical anthropology. This led Ms. Caughey to pursue an honours thesis in her final year of study at StFX, investigating how women from various cultural groups living in Canada relate to and understand HIV/AIDS. Upon graduation from StFX with her B.A. she continued to build upon her interests in medical anthropology by pursuing a nursing degree, also at StFX. Lori believes her anthropology degree was vital in helping to prepare her as a future healthcare worker practicing within the diverse Canadian context by highlighting the importance of cultural awareness and the benefits of implementing culturally sensitive care, “Cultural influences permeate all aspects of health from influencing one’s access to health care services, to perceptions of health, illness, and healing, which often dictate the organization of client care and client health outcomes. My anthropology degree was integral in guiding me as a nursing student in the understanding of these issues, and was a wonderful complement to my nursing studies, that I am certain will continue to have a positive impact on my future nursing practice.”

Lauren Scannell, 2006

Lauren Scannell graduated from StFX in 2006 with First Class Honours in Anthropology and International Development Studies. She became interested in coffee, development issues, globalization and the search for alternative possibilities. Standing in a café, a consumer can choose their coffee by region, type, roast, brewing method, label or certification. The drink has percolated into Western daily life, stimulating a cosmopolitan coffeehouse culture. For her BA thesis, advised by Dr. Susan Vincent, Lauren investigated the relationship between fair trade coffee and consumer choice. She then when to Dalhousie University and finished her first MA in 2007 in Social Anthropology. Lauren continued to research fair trade coffee and moved up the commodity chain to study specialty coffee retailers. She analyzed how the relationships, practices, institutions and ideas that link the fair trade movement’s specialty roasters, retailers and consumers can enable these individuals to imagine they are part of a global social force that stands opposed to the traditional coffee industry. Her research was primarily on coffeehouses in Halifax and the Specialty Coffee Association of America Conference in Long Beach, California where she was able to experience the social life of coffee. Lauren was awarded the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship and is currently finishing an MA in International Development Studies at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Aaron Steeghs, 2001

Aaron's focus at StFX was Cultural Anthropology and International Development. Following the completion of his undergraduate degree in 2001 Aaron completed a 6 month internship through the Coady International Institute, where he worked on a community ecotourism project in central Peru. Returning to work with the Coady in 2004, he conducted extensive research on local economic development initiatives in the rural Ecuadorian highlands. Aaron has worked for several Toronto-based NGOs and a Canadian mining company at its Nunavut and Honduran operations. His post-secondary education includes an MA in International Development from Dalhousie and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business where he specialized in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He currently works as a CSR advisor for the non-profit Canadian Business for Social Responsibility.

L. Jane McMillan, 1995

Jane graduated from the Honours program in Anthropology with the Reverend Frank Mifflin Award. Her experiences at StFX set the foundation for a successful graduate career and enabled her to receive entrance scholarships at Dalhousie, a Killam Fellowship and a SSRHC doctoral fellowship at UBC, and numerous other academic awards. Jane McMillan is currently the Canada Research Chair - Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Communities in the department of Anthropology at St. Francis Xavier University. She is a legal anthropologist with a specialization in Indigenous law. Her recent works explore the impact of colonization on traditional law ways of the Mi’kmaq of eastern Canada and their contemporary community responses to legal issues. As one of the original litigants in the SCC Marshall decision, she has been following with special interest the significant cultural changes that have occurred in Mi’kma’ki as a result of the renewed recognition of treaty and Aboriginal rights. Jane’s current research includes: Netukulimk – a project examining resource regulation and sovereignty; Aboriginal Family Violence – creating meaningful community responses to intimate violence; Artisan Cooperatives – exploring the social economy in Mi’kmaq culture; and Law and Governance in Gespe’gewa’gi. Having recently learned to surf, Jane is hoping to conduct future research on dispute management and wave etiquette in surfing cultures.