Jennifer Axsmith (Class of 2009)

I began my degree in 2004, and like many students, it was AN 101 that opened the door and, particularly, Dr. Phil Carr and Dr. Greg Waselkov who got me hooked. I had always had an interest in archaeology and loved historical fiction, wishing I could learn more about the past cultures I envisioned in my readings. Anthropology opened those doors. I began taking every anthropology class offered, and as it is the study of humans and their culture, I learned that many professional fields apply anthropological concepts of how we approach those cultures different than our own. In additional to the expected coursework research papers, I presented three undergraduate professional posters that were grant-funded, studying Native American archaeology and also how Native Americans have been portrayed through time in 4 th grade Alabama History textbooks dating back to the 1940s through 2000s. In one grant study, I conducted experiments reproducing bone and stone tools used by Southeastern Native Americans.

I earned my degree in Anthropology in 2009, thinking I’d spend my career studying people or working as a field archaeology. My life changed and suddenly I was offered an opportunity to work in the law field. For the past thirteen years I have worked as a paralegal in probate and estate law, and I’ve used that same application to understand the complicated cultures that exist within families, how they handle preparing their possessions in advance of death, as well as how different areas of our own United States handle the passing of a loved one. I have had clients from all regions of the United States, and learned that we all can have locally impacted values of how we handle these things before and after death. Probate work in particular has shown me how our Southern culture has certain traditions and means of handling death that are different from clients found in other areas of the country, or even other areas of the world.

Anthropology taught me how people’s values and traditions shape their decisions, especially in moments of loss or transition. That background helps me treat clients in a way that they need, whether they are lifelong Southerners who want to keep things personal and familiar, or newcomers who prefer a more formal process. My Anthropology degree helps me to translate formal legal structure into language people can actually understand and relate to, and I am able to make them feel at ease and feel relief with their decisions, whether it be deciding to whom they pass valued possessions to (there are even “chiefdoms” of a sort among families), or ensuring that a probate process runs smoothly and with all of my empathy at their loss, treating each client with the same care and respect they deserve during such a difficult time.

I am grateful to the University of South Alabama for having given me the opportunity to open a door I might never have gone through and learned to love.