“I have been involved in the Department of Anthropology at Carleton in various ways since 2002, when I first joined Carleton University! Choosing Anthropology as an elective was quite accidental; my dad, who had never been to university but read a lot, encouraged me to take a class in my first year. After one year of ANTH 1001, I changed it to my major. I then got a degree in Anthropology, and three years later came back to Carleton for my MA in Anthropology. A few years later I even taught a class while doing my PhD: Anthropology of Sub-Saharan Africa. What I really appreciated about the department was the diversity of research questions that were attended to and supported: coming from Kenya it was really eye opening for me to hear about research conducted on subjects as diverse as niche online cultures to Malaria. I also appreciated the ways in which instructors encouraged and made connections between all these different phenomena. I also learned a lot about how to be a supportive instructor, TA and research colleague from everyone in the department. So much so that I never tired of trekking up all of those stairs!”