Rebecca Gallagher explored multiple academic paths before finding the right fit. She began in pre-med, shifted to history, and kept searching. "I was really looking for something more hands-on," she said. 

She found her passion in anthropology—a field where learning happens not just in lecture halls, but in labs, excavation sites, and research rooms where ancient artifacts wait to be understood. 

"I've gotten to actually sit around a room and break rocks and turn these rocks into things like arrowheads and bifaces, the kind of stuff that you think about when you think about a Native American archaeological site," Gallagher said. 

That hands-on approach shaped her path through the major. She chose anthropology for its focus on archaeology—the study of material culture and material remains—and Iowa gave her the opportunities to practice it. She worked one-on-one with Dr. Katina Lillios conducting research on plaques. She spent four weeks at field school with John Doershuk, the state archaeologist, doing excavation work at Lakeside Lab. 

Those experiences emerged from what Gallagher described as Iowa's distinctive combination of access and expertise. "There's definitely a lot of opportunities I wouldn't have had at a different university," she said. 

She pointed to faculty investment as central to that access. "They truly want the best for your future, and they'll do anything to help you achieve your goals," Gallagher said. 

Gallagher also emphasized anthropology's breadth and flexibility. "No matter what you decide, if you want to do it, you can go anywhere with it," she said. "If you like history, if you like people, if you like working outdoors, if you like hands-on learning, Anthropology is for you." 

Anthropology became more than a major for Gallagher—it became a path toward her future and a way to engage directly with the past. At Iowa, that engagement unfolded through fieldwork, research, and mentorship from faculty who took her curiosity seriously, creating space not just to study anthropology, but to practice it. 

See what hands-on learning looks like in Anthropology. Check out the video below!