Zafar Ali

After covid spread across the globe, I was sitting on zoom bored out of my mind. Thankfully, it was my sophomore year and I got to take AP World History. I was not very active most of the day but this was the class that got me excited to learn because it was my favorite subject in school. During the pandemic (since I was stuck at home all day) my mom decided to take me to a local meeting for the Gwinnett Archaeology Research Society. At first I was not up to it but once I was there I had the opportunity to see real artifacts from around the country. This got me more interested because at the time my dream job was an Archaeologist. We also got to talk to the person in charge and one thing led to another because they liked me so much they offered me a paid internship at New South Associates (an archaeological firm). This blew my mind. A few weeks into the summer and I would begin my new work. From labeling, organizing, to washing/cleaning I was getting my hands on all kinds of artifacts. The other work I was doing was entering the artifacts into databases on spreadsheets. It was interesting to see how they were working in a traditional office environment which showed me that there is a wider range of things to do compared to working in dig sites all day. The next summer they offered me another internship which I took gladly. I continued where I left off last summer working with the same people. Looking back, it was a great experience and I am glad I was able to take it. I hope to someday return to New South as they are always happy to welcome me back!