Alumni Profile: Keyah Adams (M. HSPH '21)

Read about HSPH alumna Keyah Adams ('21). She is now an Archaeologist at Stantec.

Why did you choose HSPH?

I had an interest in combining heritage, museums, and anthropology and it seemed to be a good fit. As a biracial female in a field that is lacking in BIPOC individuals, I saw that this program also focused on getting minorities into the preservation fields. The program being hands-on and helping you get real-world experience was crucial in my decision making process for graduate programs. 

What do you do in your current position?

As an Archaeologist at Stantec, I perform different archaeological surveys for a wide variety of projects including solar, transmission line, and developmental projects. I also help our architectural historians by conducting field work for their reports and assisting them on forms to be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office. When I'm not out in the field,  I am conducting desktop reviews, writing reports, and creating site forms. 

In what ways did the HSPH program prepare you for your current position?

With the hands-on capstone projects, I made connections with people in state agencies. As a first generation student, I couldn't afford a field school (which is desired and almost required for archaeologists) during my undergraduate studies, but through my summer internship, I gained the same skills one would learn in a field school and use those skills almost daily. Being in the archaeological track, I had the freedom to take classes about cultural resources (architecture), historical archaeology, and Native American archaeology, which helped me become well-rounded as an archaeologist.