Meet Our Students!
The Anthropology Department at St. Lawrence is home to many of the University’s most enthusiastic students. All of them have wonderful stories and personalities to share. This semester, meet Jany Ramirez, class of 2011.
Jany Ramirez
Jany sometimes wishes that SLU was a lot warmer- with a beach nearby. Looking out my window at the accumulated drifts, I’m inclined to agree with her. I first met Jany last year. Right away, I was struck by how passionate she is, not just about being at SLU, but about embracing life and learning. Nothing and no one would stop this young woman from soaking up every possible opportunity. A year later, I find that I am absolutely right.
Jany participates in so many activities, it’s difficult to keep all of the acronyms straight. She’s a McNair Scholar, and is part of the HEOP and CSTEP programs. She lives on the leadership theme floor, is a member of the Anthropology Club, SAGA and the BSU. She’d like to double major in anthropology and psychology and she’s planning on studying abroad in Italy next fall (and maybe Australia or Costa Rica later!). Jany laments that there is so much that she wants to do, but fears that there is just not enough time. As I scribble furiously to keep up with her, I worry that there is not enough paper.
I ask Jany how, out of all of the options available at SLU, she managed to fall in love with anthropology. She laughs, and says that her background played an important role in her decision. Jany grew up in the Dominican Republic. Six years ago, she and her family moved to Brooklyn. As I marvel at the transition, she smiles and nods. “I learned what culture was right away,” she says. Her family is scattered across the world: the US, Italy, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. She loves how everyone brings “something a little different to the plate”. Jany tells me about her big immediate family; she’s the eldest of eight and a first generation college student. She’s always trying new things and wants to be a good example. “Coming to SLU has helped me to identify even more with my culture,” she says. “You learn even more about yourself.” It’s why she wants to balance her anthropological studies with a psychological perspective; “it makes you more open to seeing things and not making judgments.”
I ask Jany what her favorite anthropology class has been so far. She says she’s been lucky. Every class she’s wanted, she’s been able to take, and with the liberal arts format, “I’ve learned something new every time”. As for anthropology, she says that she loved cultural anthropology, and has been really enjoying human origins. She’s very interested in the relationship between people, health, and culture and is going to be researching health this summer with Dr. Pomponio in the Pacific Islands. Medical anthropology inspires her; “culture is involved in every interaction.” I ask her where she sees herself in five years. She laughs. “Defending a dissertation- or working for a community, doing preservation work”. I’m caught up in her excitement; this is a woman to watch.
- Shannon Freire, January 2009