Anthropology graduate seeks to understand others through research and service work

Catarina Vazquez came to Tulane already fascinated by the stories of other people. Vazquez, who is graduating in May with a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the School of Liberal Arts, has spent the past four years seeking to understand and be of service to others both inside and outside the classroom - whether they are alive now or lived more than 800 years ago.

When she arrived at Tulane from San Marcos, Texas, Vazquez thought she wanted to be a doctor or lawyer. But at Tulane, she found a supportive environment where she could explore numerous interests and passions.

"I also really liked Tulane's emphasis on connecting students with service work and internships, so they can be a member of the New Orleans community outside of their time at Tulane," she said.

In her first year, Vazquez found herself increasingly drawn to anthropology, and one class confirmed her inclinations: an introduction to biological anthropology taught by Trenton Holliday, professor in the Department of Anthropology.

"I absolutely fell in love with the class in the first couple of weeks, and I was like, 'This is exactly what I want to do,'" said Vazquez.

Vazquez leaned into her passion for service as an intern at the Newcomb Archives and the Newcomb Art Museum. In various volunteer roles, she has documented oral histories, promoted health education, organized service opportunities for others and built connections with local advocacy groups.

Vazquez also played a key role in expanding the Tulane Anthropology Club, where she served on the executive board and organized events to foster interest in the field she grew to love.

As a Newcomb Scholar, Vazquez found a way to channel her passion for understanding gender-based and intimate partner violence (IPV) into research for her honors thesis.

She earned a certificate in gendered violence studies through interdisciplinary coursework in feminist methodologies, public health and political science, as she discovered new ways of thinking about the ancient areas of research that intrigue her as an anthropology major.

Vazquez developed a novel method for skeletal analysis, adapting techniques used in present-day medical settings to identify and interpret IPV-associated trauma in human skeletal remains.

In modern healthcare, making note of specific injury patterns is common when screening for signs of IPV.

Vazquez hopes to expand this approach to archeological contexts to be able to think about IPV and gendered violence at ancient sacrificial burial sites in Peru. She sees a connection between her research on ancient people and her work outside of the classroom.

"Doing the community work, volunteering and going out and talking to people, really just helps me better understand the issues that I'm studying," she said.

"I always work really hard to think about, when I am working with human remains, that these were people that had lives and loved ones. I think being able to go out into the community and talk to people now really just brings it all together."

With the encouragement of her professors, she presented her research at three major conferences. Now, she plans to expand upon her thesis at the University of Florida, where she hopes to earn a PhD in anthropology.

One day, Vazquez wants to mentor her own students with the same dedication and care that her professors extended to her. And she hopes to instill in them the same values she learned at Tulane.

"I might forget the name of something or another, but I feel like the value in a liberal arts education is not that it tells you what to think, it tells you how to think," she said. "I won't forget how Tulane has taught me how to think about the world and see my own place in that."