My name is Brandi McConahay, and when the opportunity to become an intern with the Ohio History Connection’s Archaeology Department as an Archaeological Lab Assistant arose, I knew that it was something that I wanted to pursue. I grew up in Columbus and was familiar with the Ohio Historical Society, as it was then called. I was eager to learn more about both archaeology and the Ohio History Connection. Starting this summer, I am an intern with the Archaeology Department, and I work under the supervision of Juli Six, an Archaeology Collections Assistant.

From the time I was a little girl, I was passionate about archaeology. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad and I watching archaeology documentaries, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Along with a major in Anthropology, I also have a co-major in Interactive Media Studies, and a double minor in French and Museums & Society at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I will be a senior this fall, and I plan to go to graduate school for archaeology.

In January 2016, I completed an archaeology field school on San Salvador Island in The Bahamas. We worked on a pre-Columbian Lucayan site called Pigeon Creek and excavated domestic activity areas. My team found a variety of artifacts including fire-cracked rock, stone tools, shell beads, charcoal, stone tool cores, and shell fragments. Participating in an archaeology field school confirmed what I already knew: I wanted to do archaeology for the rest of my life.

Being an intern with the Ohio History Connection’s Archaeology Department has already given me opportunities to see and work with amazing collections that only periodically go on display in the museum, or haven’t been displayed at all due to limited space. I look forward to continue my work with our extensive collections this summer!