Exploring Humankind Abroad

Madelyn Masser, senior biology and anthropology double major, loves to study the ins and outs of human behavior and evolution. As her time at Commonwealth University – Bloomsburg ends this spring semester, she looks forward to traveling abroad and learning more.

“I’ve found that most people don’t even know what anthropology is,” says Masser. “The amount of ways you can look at the world around you, not to mention, the job opportunities.” Masser has taken numerous classes on anthropology, her favorite being Anthropology of Reproduction.

“The class combined my two favorite things, biology and anthropology,” She says. "It made me decide to specialize in physical anthropology and archeology while pursuing more education."

A current Husky Tour guide, Masser has no issue approaching students and collecting survey data for research. Passionate about her studies, Masser has conducted an independent study on the dating habits of college students.

"The results were really interesting," she says. "Some things were expected, some not. It's cool to see how humanities-based majors were more forgiving in relationships and business/education majors had more preferences."

As the senior's studies have shaped her new perspective on the world, Masser believes many could learn from the anthropological field. “I grew up in a rural, much smaller area.” She says. “Bloomsburg was a culture shock and the anthropology major showed how much more of the world there is out there.”

Masser has wanted to travel since she was young. For her master's, she hopes to study at the University of London, where she can get a specialized archeology/anthropology degree that allows her to home in on her interests. The program will focus on physical anthropology, specializing in human remains and evolution.

The senior plans to work hard at obtaining internships while abroad, keeping her eyes out for natural history museums in London. Eventually, she plans to pursue a doctorate and would like to teach. For now, Masser is content to explore the world. “I can’t wait to explore Europe,” she says, “Maybe even go to South America. It's been a dream of mine to visit Peru and see how relationships built ancient societies.”