New Mexico State University anthropology student Abriella Muniz is the newest recipient of the Cheryl L. Wase Memorial Scholarship for the study of archaeology.
With the help of the scholarship, Muniz is attending NMSU’s Archaeological Field School at Cottonwood Springs Pueblo this summer.
“Trying to go to field school to get the field experience can be very expensive,” said Muniz. “So just having other archaeologists be able to financially support me and even my own teachers being able to give me that support by helping me get the scholarship was very encouraging. It gives me a lot of hope for what I can do throughout college to make this my career.”
The Wase Scholarship offered by the Society for American Archaeology provides funding for undergraduate education in archaeology. It is awarded to women who are residents of New Mexico and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a specialization in archaeology from a fully accredited university in the state of New Mexico. It covers the cost of tuition and fees along with books for all classroom and field-based courses that are included in an accredited curriculum.
“The Wase Scholarship is a wonderful thing,” said Rani Alexander. Anthropology professor and department head. “It’s renewable for five years. It pays tuition and fees; it pays for the summer field school. It's amazing. We also have two other Wase scholars who are already in the program Sabrina Gonzalez and Cassey Godman.”
Godman was awarded her scholarship in 2022 and Gonzalez received hers in 2021. Both graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. Gonzalez is continuing at NMSU pursuing a master’s degree in anthropology. Godman is pursuing a career in teaching.
There are so many sub fields that you can do like bioarcheology, you can do forensics, you can do historical, you can do tribal,” Muniz said. “There are just so many career options.”
Muniz, who identifies as a Navajo woman, is focused on indigenous studies and heritage.
“I’m taking anthropology and archaeology classes but also Native American studies,” Muniz said. “I enjoy learning about different tribal cultures. It’s so rich here in New Mexico and especially the four corners area. New Mexico is a good place to connect with all kinds of indigenous communities.”
The Wase Scholarship is named after archaeologist Cheryl L. Wase who spent most of her career working in the high deserts of New Mexico. Wase died in 2004 at 53. When her mother, Jane Francy Wase, passed away in 2013, she left a bequest to the Society for American Archaeology to endow a memorial scholarship in her daughter’s name.
The bequest brings together three major themes that defined Cheryl Wase’s life: her dedication to archaeology, her love for New Mexico, and her constant willingness to help and support other women.
Muniz started at NMSU thinking she would be a criminal justice major like her dad, but once she started taking anthropology classes, she was hooked.
“I just really fell in love with the classes I was taking,” Muniz said. “So, when I was in my “Intro to Archeology” class, my professor Fumi Arakawa told me about the Wase Scholarship. I talked to Rani Alexander, the head of the department, and they both really helped me and guided me to apply for the scholarship.”
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