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Hear what past fellowship recipients have to say about their experiences in the field:

“Being on a dig isn’t just that three week or six-week session. It turns into a life experience. Not just the memory aspect of it. It can motivate you to care more about your physical condition and health. You make friends from all over the world and stay in contact on social media. It makes you more interesting to your family and friends, having unique stories to tell and pictures to share. If you read the Bible or history books it gives you “I was there” pictures in your mind of the real thing.

One of my favorite pictures from this summer at Tel Hazor Lower City is of me standing above the “hole” I helped dig in six weeks. By itself, the picture isn’t amazing. But when I tell the people I show it to that we started at ground level in the year 2023, and six weeks and nine feet later it was the year 1750 BC more than 3,700 years ago–it becomes amazing! Lots of people like movies and books about time travel; sitting comfortably watching a movie or reading a book. I was there. I touched the stones and artifacts. I time traveled. Words cannot adequately express this phenomenon. You’ll just have to go to a dig one of these summers and see for yourself.”

-John Rinks, 2023 Stevan B. Dana Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“What an exciting season in the field! It was fun to make new friends, learn from many capable archaeologists, and excavate such an interesting and historically significant site. It was inexpressibly rewarding to get back into field work after several years away. I am grateful to ASOR and the P.E. MacAllister Scholarship for making it possible for me to return to the field.”

-John Harmon, 2022 P.E. MacAllister Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“As an archaeology student, my education is all about developing my archaeological understandings and perfecting my craft. This is why we all go to school. But there is just something so special and amazing about the moments in our educational journeys when what we have worked to learn evolves from mere theory to applied practice.”

-Erika Brown, 2022 BIPOC Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“Overall, this was an unforgettable experience where I got to learn new skills in the field, make meaningful connections, and see new things. I am grateful to Dr. Kevin Fisher and Sheri Pak for organizing this trip and to Dr. Eric and Dr. Carol Meyers for their generous scholarship. Without all your support, my participation in this project would not have been possible!”

-Isabelle Sauvé, 2023 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“I can’t say that I didn’t expect how talented, hardworking, and experienced the professors I worked under were; the knowledge they imparted to us students was extraordinary just like their CVs would tell you. What I did not expect was the level of personal support and kindness they extended. I will never forget how these experts at the top of their field still made time to guide me, an undergraduate fresh out of my first year in college. They didn’t just lead by example; they also provided invaluable mentorship. Months later, I am still brushing off the dust from my work clothes, yet what remains even more vividly from this experience than the dust on my belongings or the treasured trowel displayed on my shelf are the wonderful memories of my first adventure in archaeology!”

-Hania Kantzer, 2023 Stevan B. Dana Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“It was the exceptional privilege for me to participate in the Huqoq Excavation Project for their final year, not only because it supplemented my academic studies and offered me a close-up view of the Holy Land, but also because it augmented my understanding of the significance of archaeology. For this reason, I am profoundly grateful for those individuals whose assistance made my participation in the Huqoq Excavation Project possible, as well as all the directors, team leaders, and fellow members who made it such an unforgettable and phenomenal experience.”

-Thomas Barrett, 2023 Platt Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“This July I was fortunate enough to travel to Israel for the first time and participate in the archaeological dig at Tel Abel Beth Maacah, near Metula in Galilee, and it was an unforgettable experience. As an Old Testament student much of my time is focused on the literary and linguistic areas of biblical studies, but on the recommendation from one of my professors I applied to be a participant in the excavation at ABM. This experience, although brief, has given me a practical perspective on my current academic endeavors. Thank you to ASOR and the scholarship donors who made this trip possible.”

-Ashley Jemmott, 2023 BIPOC Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“My first excavation season at Gird-I Matrab was a wonderful experience, full of surprising discoveries. I had the opportunity to work with an amazing international team and to discover more about Kurdish culture. I visited places and I met people that contributed to my personal and academic growth. I really look forward to being back in Gird-I Matrab next year!”

-Marta Doglio, 2023 P.E. MacAllister Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“One of my favorite things about archaeology is being part of a community forged through hard work, friendship, collegiality and mutual support. There is almost no better feeling than being covered in mud from head to toe, exhausted, hot, thirsty and hungry and yet somehow finding the energy for a race to the car for the best seat for the ride home while laughing all the way. Being part of this kind of family–a chosen family some might say–is a real privilege and one I look forward to every year.”

-Hélène Maloigne, 2023 Strange and Midkiff Families Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“In sum, the hands-on learning at Tel Dan helped me better understand the concepts I learned in my archaeology seminars (especially pottery typology!), the tools and methods used on archaeological digs, and how archaeologists make decisions in real time about what they are finding. Overall, I learned many things about archaeology and archaeological methods while on the dig that I never could have learned in the classroom.”

-Andrew Bock, 2022 Stevan B. Dana Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

“In addition to all of the fieldwork, spending time with all of the individuals with the same passion for archaeology was amazing. I will have future colleagues and friends for life.”

-Zachary Griffith, 2022 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient