Where in the World is Pride Guide Melissa?

My name is Melissa, and I am a junior anthropology major at Hofstra with a concentration in archaeology and two minors in creative writing and art history. I am currently studying abroad in London at the University College London’s Institute of Archaeology until June!

I love traveling, so studying abroad was always something that I wanted to do when I got to college. In fact, when I visited Hofstra for the first time, my Pride Guide took me into the study abroad office to look at some of the trips that Hofstra offers. Ultimately I decided to go to London because of their past with archaeology, specifically Egyptology, which I hope to become my specialty. I also hope to apply here for graduate school so I thought I would check out the university first!

My favorite class so far is Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. The class focuses on particular sites in Egypt and the archaeological methods that were used at the site. Most of our classes are held in the Petrie Museum which holds over 80,000 Egyptian artifacts. In the class we are able to hold some of these delicate and ancient objects; I never could have even imagined myself holding pieces that are thousands of years old! I also have had the amazing opportunity to volunteer in the museum in my spare time.

Since being in London, I have visited many of the hot tourist spots like Big Ben, King's Cross Station, The British Museum, and Henry the VIII’s home Hampton Court. I also took a day trip to Oxford and found places where the Harry Potter movies were filmed. I am also planning a trip to Stonehenge, Edinburgh, and even Italy for my spring break! And at the end of the semester, I will be going on a two-week dig with my class to Sussex. I am looking forward to what the rest of this semester has in store for me!