Drew Castleberry ’24
Wiess College
Major: Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations
Minors: Art History and Business
Study abroad experiences can be more than simply taking class in a different country, as Drew found out during her trip to Cosa, Italy, where she worked on an archeological dig as part of the Program in Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations. Read more about what she enjoyed most about the experience as well as how valuable it was to her future endeavors.
"Hello! I’m Drew Castleberry. I’m a rising junior at Wiess College and planning to graduate in 2024. I am majoring in Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations (AMC) and double minoring in Business and Art History. I first became interested in the general study of archaeology through Professor Fleisher’s Introduction to Archaeology course. I really enjoyed the critical thinking skills required for the job, and I did well in the course. I became interested specifically in archaeological fieldwork through Dr. Crawford-Brown. She exposed me to the opportunity at Cosa, and she helped me write my application and secure the funding to afford the trip. I truly owe this experience to her, as I could not have done it without her guidance.
"Since the beginning of my time at Rice, I have been severely divided on what career I want to pursue or even what industry I fit best in. I have repeatedly gone back and forth between archaeology and business, and I have taken classes in both fields. Because the two involve completely different post-undergraduate lifestyles, it is important that I narrow down my studies early enough to prepare myself for the prospect of graduate school or immediately entering the workforce. I figured that the best way to make a decision was to experience both outside of the classroom. I have completed micro-internships and small projects in marketing and human resources, so all that was left was to secure a real-world experience in the field of archaeology. That is where Cosa came in."