Christina Pomianek (’04)

Sociology/Anthropology Major – Anthropology

What co-curricular or extracurricular activities were you involved in?

I was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, and I worked part-time during the school year and full-time during summer break. I was involved on and off in our anthropology club and other on-campus co-curricular activities, but I was not a particularly involved student.

 What are you doing now?

I am an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Lindenwood University. I developed most of our curriculum in cultural anthropology, and I direct our Cultural Anthropology Lab.

How did you get to this place in your life/ career?

This is a big question with a long answer. I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible.

After I graduated from Truman, I went on to graduate school in Anthropology at MU. There, I completed a Master’s and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology. My graduate education took roughly eight years total, which included two solid years of research and writing up a dissertation. I started reaching out to potential employers with phone calls and e-mails before I returned home from the field (Kalimantan Barat, Indonesian Borneo). I was fortunate to establish contact with Dr. Ray Scupin, then the Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. After some correspondence, Dr. Scupin offered me an adjunct professor position teaching two sections of sociology in Fall Semester 2011. I accepted that offer and was very comfortable teaching sociology, thanks to the significant training in sociology I completed in the SOAN program at Truman and my ongoing interest in sociology throughout my graduate programs. The following semester, I was offered two sections of cultural anthropology. I poured all of myself into these classes, and I became involved on campus as much as possible. My efforts paid off, and I was quickly promoted to the position of Assistant Professor. Last year, I was promoted to Associate Professor. As an undergraduate, I never imagined I would be a professor someday. These scholars whom I admired . . that I could become like them.  But here I am! Life is crazy and I have enjoyed the ride so far!

I arrived at this place in my life and career through hard work in graduate school and beyond. I took big, scary risks, like conducting 18 months of research alone in Indonesian Borneo. I said “yes” to opportunities, I tried to keep self-doubt in perspective, and I put myself in uncomfortable situations until they were no longer uncomfortable  (e.g. public speaking events, international field research, cold-calling prospective employers). The path was uncertain at times. It is for everyone. There were major and minor upheavals along the way. I nearly quit my Ph.D. program after both of my parents and my Ph.D. advisor passed away within a few years of each other. It was brutal at times, but I hung on. I had come too far to stop short.

I was resilient and persistent, and I made it through the eye of the needle, to this great place in my life and in my career. I can breathe on this side of things now, and I think the challenges I faced back then taught me to be okay with the inevitable uncertainties that are always present in life. I also owe credit for my success to several professors who were my mentors, who recognized my capabilities and challenged me to pursue my dreams. Often, they saw in me something that I could not yet see, and I am forever thankful that they helped me find my way.

Have you been to graduate school? If so, where did you go? Did you go right after graduating from Truman?

Yes, I began graduate school at MU immediately following graduation from Truman.

Do you have any advice for Truman students who are interested in going to graduate school?

I advise students to work hard to develop strong written communication skills. It’s so important in graduate school and beyond, and it will make or break your graduate school applications or your job applications. I also advise students to reach out to prospective graduate advisors before applying to the program to introduce yourself and start a conversation about potential shared research interests. You’ll fare much better in the selection process if you know who your advisor should be and if you know that they want to take you in as a graduate student.

While in graduate school, it is important to go above and beyond the specified requirements for a class. That’s just the beginning. If you want to be a rockstar in graduate school—if you want to get instructorships, assistantships, fellowships, and publications—you need to stretch beyond your coursework, humbly bring that extra knowledge into the classroom discussions, and talk with your faculty often about what you are learning and how it might serve their research interests, too. You have to put yourself out there and take intellectual risks. You have to stand up and teach the 300-person lecture class, even though nobody trained you to do that, because that’s what it takes. Just do it. It will be okay. It will get easier. You have to ask questions in class, at lectures, and at conferences, and you have to get comfortable with answering questions, too.

I think much of what needs to happen in graduate school is that you have to appear very confident, even if you harbor secret self doubt. Everyone else is grappling with the same doubts. Eventually, you’ll discover that you actually ARE as capable as everyone thinks.

How has the education you’ve received from Truman helped you?

I am incredibly thankful for the education I received at Truman. At Truman, there was not a lot of “hand-holding.” The expectations were high and students rose to the occasion. We were guided by our professor to answer questions for ourselves, which was a beautiful approach that encouraged strong critical thinking skills. I recall one professor who is particularly important to me saying “whoever does the work does the learning.” I’ve found that to be true over and over again in my life. At Truman, hard work is the standard, and it shows in the capabilities of Truman graduates. Coming out of Truman, I was well-prepared for graduate school. I had very strong writing skills, significant anthropological and sociological knowledge, spoke a second language, had studied abroad, and was familiar with a diversity of disciplines because of Truman’s general education requirements. Because of that diverse background, I was able to fund several years of my graduate education by teaching Spanish language at MU, for which I received a stipend and a tuition waiver. My time at Truman opened this and many other doors to me.  One opportunity seems to beget the next.

Is/are there any particular class(es) you’re glad you took? Did you like it/them at that the time?

Although I don’t think I was in the right headspace for the class at the time, Anthropological Theory turned out to be a very important class for me. I applied that knowledge in graduate school and now I teach Anthropological and Sociological Theory at Lindenwood. As far as I can tell, my students do enjoy my class, and they carry forward lessons from that class into their future lives. Some students have even reported getting together for coffee and “riffing on theory,” like we did in class. That idea makes me feel amazing.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Truman?

I think my best memories of Truman are from my Junior year, when I was really serious about my studies. I had put aside the anxieties of learning the ropes as a college Freshman, and I had not yet arrived at the temptations of the “senior slide.” I worked hard in my classes, sat in the front row, engaged with my professors, and rejoiced in the challenge of learning. It was a wonderful time. I wish I had been like that the entire way through my education. I do regret that I was not always fully present with the knowledge that was available to me. If I could do it over again, my priorities would be different. I would approach the learning with more excitement and gratitude. That Junior year was incredible for me, though. It was the beginning of an intellectual awakening that is still in motion today.

Why is Truman a good school at which to study?

At Truman, education and the development of the student are the priority. That’s not the case everywhere. Truman is special.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to go into the same line of work as you?

I recommend that anyone who wants to go into anthropology think about the broader impacts of your anthropological interests.  What does your particular area of focus offer to the rest of the world? I’d also work on developing a wide variety of generalizable skills such as skills in foreign languages, statistical analysis, professional writing, and database construction and management. The academic job market is in flux, and there’s no guarantee that a fresh Ph.D. will land a dream job as a professor. One way to ensure employability is to develop skills that can be generalized beyond academic anthropology.

What do you miss most about campus life/ living in Kirksville?

Honestly, the only thing about Kirksville that I love is Truman and her people. I think the remoteness of the university is in some ways an asset, allowing students to focus on their studies, if they decide to do so. I did enjoy Thousand Hills State Park. I also have fond memories of scurrying around Baldwin Hall.

If you could teach current students one thing, what would it be?

Here, I’ll  pass along Mary Oliver’s three instructions for living a life, which I’ve taken to heart and practice daily: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.