Send Alyssa to Graduate School

This campaign is to raise graduate school tuition for a young woman aspiring to work in historical preservation.  Keep reading for the full story.  Sometimes life takes you right back to the beginning. I was a child completely obsessed with make believe, dancing in a world centuries away from my own. My mother indulged my historical fantasies, and thanks to her sewing abilities, I had fantastic costumes. I was a medieval princess with a long silk train, an Indian complete with a head piece and deer skin purse and First Lady Abigail Adams with a flouncing floral skirt. Toys and household items did not escape my games nor did my mother’s cookware, which she often had to rescue to make dinner. At times my entire room was lit with candles, as I refused modern light. My long brown braids brushed the pages of many a novel. In my mind, I was the spunky Laura Ingalls Wilder and later the fierce Jane Eyre. My dreams were huge, my mind a place of endless exploration. Transferring these childhood passions into adult pursuits took me to fourteen different countries and eventually a Bachelor of History and an internship that would lead me to University College London. In 2011, I stood on the steps of the forum in Pompeii and was mesmerized by archaeology for the first time. The guide spoke so eloquently that as we moved through the uncovered parts of the city, I could almost see the people and hear their stories. At one point he pointed to an area covered in rocks and surrounded by orange fencing and told us that parts of the city still lay underground. It was at this moment that I discovered I did not simply want to learn about history, I wanted to save it. I got the opportunity to do so in the last semester of my senior year with an internship for the Fairfield Heritage Association. I read letters written by William Tecumseh Sherman to his officers and his wife. I cataloged collections of photos and wills and rosters. My hands were sore from removing so many staples and rusty paperclips, but in those hands were precious original documents, not copies in a textbook. Here was the front line of history. I had struck gold. I continued on after my internship and have now developed a rapport with all kinds of collections, especially images. I also work on digitization projects and research with the Columbus Metropolitan Library. I love hearing the stories from the many researchers who visit; they are so determined to make history relevant to the modern world. My work experience has only solidified my desire to preserve history, and I have found the perfect place to teach me the necessary skills, University College London. I plan to pursue an MA in Principles of Conservation beginning September 2018 and culminating September 2019.  University College London is one of the top schools in the world at which to study archaeology and conservation. Archaeology at UCL was ranked third by the QS World University Ranking by Subject in 2017. The Wolfson Archaeological Science Laboratories provide students with the tools to actually develop scientific skills and hands-on experience with artifacts. The college has an impressive collection of its own with items from every corner of the globe and almost every era.  I am especially excited about technology development to benefit historical conservation such as UCL’s 3D Petrie Project. This imaging allows people to see and almost touch artifacts that would normally have to be behind glass or too fragile to display at all. UCL is the hub of the latest in conservation. An integral part of my studies will be a dissertation of no less than 15,000 words. While I will confer with UCL professors on my research, I intend to study the effect global warfare and terrorism have on historical conservation. Almost daily the public is exposed to news of violence around the world. While its impact on human life is paramount, I am interested in its effect on preservation of history. In Syria in 2015, Isis destroyed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and its priceless and irreplaceable artifacts. The terrorist group later posted a video so that the world could see their handiwork. Mark Altaweel, an archaeology professor at UCL, said the city’s “full potential…had not been uncovered”[1]. History was lost before everything could be unearthed and knowledge is gone forever.  A bomb can erase centuries of history in mere seconds. The artifacts that are not destroyed are sold on the black market and fund terrorist groups such as ISIS. Museum curators who purchase artifacts in an effort to protect them are sometimes inadvertently funding the violence.[2] Archaeologist and PhD student Peter Campbell, at the University of Southampton, stresses the cultural effect of stolen artifacts and says the result is “qualitative…based on the absence of physical evidence of the historical narratives that drive social cohesion and cultural legitimacy…”[3] I will be focusing on the ethics of removing artifacts from their original place. Archaeologists argue that an item must be in its setting to truly grasp its historical and cultural significance. Collectors might then argue that a museum is best for an artifact because of enhanced technology and resources or a safer environment. For my research, I hope to speak with museum curators in charge of collecting items from dangerous areas of the world and to archaeologists who have possibly witnessed historical destruction or its effects to understand both sides of the argument. I am also especially interested in the required core module, Conservation in Practice: Preventative Conservation, which may also explore ways to save historical artifacts in danger of exploitation.  My research will give me a unique perspective which I can then apply to issues at home such as the Dakota Access Pipeline’s effect on sacred Native American sites. UCL is not my only goal. The dynamic city of London is a dream in and of itself. British history is my favorite, and I wrote my undergraduate thesis on why Queen Elizabeth I never married. While at UCL, I plan to take any opportunity I have to explore this historical jewel, for I believe it is vital for me to engage in the London historical community. I intend to participate in an ongoing archaeological dig either in or around London during the summer. Trained teams encourage public participation and even offer workshops and training for novice diggers. Witnessing artifacts pulled from the earth will give me a more complete perspective on the total conservation process and a unique insight into museum collection management.  I already have experience cataloging and digitizing historical collections and hope to add more practical preservation skills to this foundation during my time in London. Give me the land of Margaret Thatcher’s, Jane Austen’s, and Queen Victoria’s. I want to actively preserve history, not simply for the artifacts’ sake, but for future generations to learn and grow. Time is working against the historical community and technology is not developing fast enough for some artifacts. I want to be on the front lines of conservation, to learn the latest techniques and develop first rate skills from the most knowledgeable professionals in the field. Someday I would like to manage my own collection as a curator or archivist in places like the Smithsonian museums or perhaps teach others the importance of conservation. In my heart I am still barefoot and running about in my Indian dress, and perhaps I can be the inspiration for another little girl to reap the most out of this beautiful world. [1] Susannah Cullinane, Hamdi Alkhshali, Mohammed Tawfeeq. “Tracking a trail of historical obliteration: ISIS trumpets destruction of Nimrud,” cnn.com. CNN, April 13, 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/world/iraq-isis-heritage/index.html (Accessed on June 7, 2017). [2] Alexander Bauer. “Editorial: The Destruction of Heritage in Syria and Iraq and Its Implications,” International Journal of Cultural Property. 22:1-6, 2015. [3] Peter Campbell. “The Illicit Antiquities Trade as a Transnational Criminal Network: Characterizing and Anticipating Trafficking of Cultural Heritage,” International Journal of Cultural Property 20:113-153, 2013.