“My time as a graduate student in the Nautical Archaeology Program was truly a transformative period in my life, both professionally and personally.  While in the NAP, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to study conservation with Donny Hamilton, ship reconstruction with Fred Hocker, and to take classes from George Bass, Fred Van Doorninck, and Shelley Wachsmann.  I was never pushed harder academically, but I learned more than I ever could have imagined and made some amazing friends along the way.  Some of my most memorable experiences come from the three summers I spent working in Turkey on the Bozburun shipwreck.  Having the chance to participate in a major INA project, see INA Turkey in Bodrum, and get to know some of the legends of the Institute – Don Frey, Robin Piercy, Faith Henschel, Sheila Mathews, and Murat Tilev to name just a few – was a great experience that I cherish and remember fondly.  The NAP taught me the value of hard work, persistence, and helped me become the nautical archaeologist that I am today.”