Alumni Spotlight

Tyrel Sorensen 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...

When Emily Mrig reflects on her path to medical anthropology, it was not a straight line. As an undergraduate at Scripps College, part of the Claremont Colleges in California, she majored in History and Hispanic Studies and minored in Biology. At the time, she anticipated going to medical school. Anthropology...

Kyle Pontieri graduated from CU Denver in Winter 2024 with a MA in Anthropology, concentrating in Archaeology. Throughout the program, he worked closely with Dr. Jamie Hodgkins on analyzing faunal remains. According to Kyle, Dr. Hodgkins’ course in Zooarchaeology was the most impactful on his career post-graduation. “Zooarchaeology was the...

Courtney Manthey is an applied medical and biocultural anthropologist whose work sits at the intersection of women’s health, public health, and community‑engaged research. She earned her MA in Anthropology (Biological) and a Master of Public Health Certificate in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Colorado Denver in 2021...

For Emily Hecker, graduate school was never about pursuing academia for its own sake. From the beginning, she was looking for practical tools and real world application. That is what led her to CU Denver’s MA program in Anthropology. “The fact that the degree was clearly labeled as applied was...