Tyrel Sorenson realized his passion for teaching during his time as a TA in the CU Denver Anthropology Department and is now pursuing a PhD in Religious Studies at the University of Denver Iliff School of Theology. Despite moving into a different interdisciplinary field than Anthropology, he says that “all of the perspective and theories that anthropology draws on is super valuable” and he can now “keep up with discussions on just about any topic and have something novel to contribute to discussions,” bringing a fresh anthropological perspective to seminars at the doctoral level. Tyrel has an extensive background working in Cultural Resources Management (CRM). Since 2016, he’s had experience working in Texas, Wyoming, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado. CRM is involved in almost anything related to development and landscape projects whether in the government or private sector. While Tyrel was a graduate student, he was also working as a full-time Cultural Resource Specialist at ERO Resources. He now “feels like a much better archaeologist” after approaching archaeology from the graduate level academically. When it comes to archaeological experience, Tyrel has basically done it all – survey, testing, excavation, monitoring, lab analysis, reporting, and GIS support. Though he spent much of his time in the field in the past, Tyrel’s thesis signaled a transition to further his goals in academia. His thesis Condition Othering: A New Theoretical Framework for Interpreting Illness Experiences was a huge help in getting him to “to think in a cross-cultural cognitive way,” a versatile application of his Master’s in Anthropology. In the future, Tyrel will return to Auraria Campus, teaching classes at MSU's Department of Sociology and Anthropology. He recently gave a “Lunchbox Talk” in February 2026 about how archaeologists enter the field of Cultural Resource Management; you can learn about it here.
