Archaeology or Art History Alumni Profile
Eliza Guyol-Meinrath
Class of 2007
As a freshman archaeology student at UE, Eliza Guyol-Meinrath never dreamed she would one day be working at an anthropological research facility (commonly known as a body farm). "When I started at UE, I was interested in Egyptology; however, by my second semester, I knew I wanted to do human rights work and genocide studies. When it came time to apply to graduate schools, my professors were supportive and helped me determine how to reach my goals."
Eliza feels that her UE course work prepared her extremely well for graduate school. "The quality of work my professors expected from me is in keeping with what the University of Tennessee now requires. The excavation experience I gained at Tin City has also been invaluable. I used a lot of the techniques I learned in that class, such as mapping and excavation methods, at a bioarchaeological field school in Peru, and it showed me how much I enjoy the hands-on aspect of archaeology."
Studying abroad at Harlaxton College and at the American University in Cairo was an eye-opening experience for Eliza. "I was fortunate to be able to study abroad for two full semesters and still graduate early. Being able to live in a non-Western nation for an extended period of time was a powerful experience that has profoundly influenced the way I think about the world and my work."
