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Convocation
Hired: 51社区黑料grad launches archaeology career with field-tested skill set
Saskia Shen Thivener graduates this June ready to kickstart her career as a trained archaeologist.
Shen Thivener, who knew going into university that she was interested in forensic anthropology, didn鈥檛 start out in SFU鈥檚 Archaeology program.
It wasn鈥檛 until after taking archaeology courses in her first year, including one on human origins, that she decided to switch her major.
鈥淢any of the courses were related to the field I wanted to go into, so I switched after discussing it with a professor within the Department,鈥� she remembers.
Now, reflecting on her undergraduate experience, she says that being a student in the Department of Archaeology, where she was always surrounded by familiar faces in the halls and in her classes, was a highlight of her time at SFU.
鈥淢any professors and staff know a large majority of the students, which creates more of a community feel,鈥� she says.
In her studies, Shen Thivener was inspired by the work being done by forensic anthropologists to recover and identify the remains of missing individuals and victims of genocide to reunite them with their families, 鈥渉opefully enacting some justice and closure for loved ones,鈥� she explains.
She complemented her degree with certificates in forensic studies and biological anthropology, as well as a minor in criminology.
Approaching her final year as an undergrad, she also made the bold decision to pursue an honours thesis in her program, even if it meant embracing a heavier workload.
鈥淭hat was the most challenging part of my degree,鈥� she says, remembering the intensive self-study involved.
Her thesis work focused on testing a method for estimating sex by measuring and observing certain hip bone characteristics on juvenile skeletons.
鈥淚t ended up being a good introduction into the world of academia and has hopefully prepared me well for future master鈥檚 studies and doctoral programs,鈥� she says.
She practiced sharing her research with an audience at both Know Your SFU, where she presented her work to incoming students, and at SFU鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Symposium this year.
At the latter event, she even took home an award for her poster presentation.
In addition to getting research experience, over the course of her degree, Shen Thivener was keen to take advantage of any opportunity available to her to prepare for her future career.
鈥淚 did copious amounts of volunteering both within the Department's labs and in the criminology department,鈥� she says.
To get early work experience in her field, at the end of her second year, she took a job in Hope, B.C., working for Stantec, where she was able to put some of the skills from her courses to the test.
Later, in her fourth year, she also took a summer job in Arizona working for Logan Simpson, where she gained experience using technology in the field.
For hands-on excavation experience, she signed on for an external field school in Portugal that was recommended to her by a friend and recognized by the Archaeological Institute of America.
On campus, she took advantage of the CRM (Cultural Resource Management) Expo hosted by the Archaeology Department, 鈥渨hich has really good opportunities to network and explore jobs available in the field,鈥� she explains.
It comes as no surprise that Shen Thivener will be starting her first position post-graduation this month.
鈥淚 have a job lined up in late June doing CRM,鈥� says the new grad, who will be travelling across the province working for an archaeological consulting firm.