“What I remember most about my time in NAP are the possibilities that were offered to us, whether in terms of funding, projects or professional opportunities like teaching undergraduate classes. As a current postdoctoral researcher, I now see how these experiences are not common for every graduate student. I have fond memories of late nights in the ShipLab working on my rigging drawing, jumping from French to English sources to complete the late 17th-century French fifth-rate vessel I decided to draw.

NAP also provided great latitude for students’ projects. Most of the time, the answer would be “Yes” quickly followed by “How can we make it happen?”. In 2019, we organized the Shipwreck Weekend under the theme “Doomed Expeditions” and invited Parks Canada to present their HMS Erebus and Terror campaigns. The same year, I was also given the amazing opportunity to attend the UNESCO International Conference for the Protection of Underwater Heritage meeting as INA’s representative.

Every conference now feels like a family reunion as I wandered in the hallways and meet fellow NAP alumni and get introduced to the new students. I always look forward to catching up and, hopefully, continuing collaboration with friends and colleagues.”