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This year’s
recipient of the
Outstanding Graduate
Student Award is
Amira Francesca
Ainis.
Amira was born in
London, England and
spent most of her
first 15 years in 9
countries: England,
the United States,
Costa Rica, Hong
Kong, India,
Bangladesh, Nepal,
Italy, and
Switzerland, where
her parents worked
with various
non-profit
organizations.
Living in such
diverse environments
instilled in Amira
not only a deep
fascination and
interest in varied
cultures, but led to
her interest in
anthropology. In
2007, she earned a
degree, with honors,
in anthropology with
an emphasis in
archaeology from
Humboldt State
University. After
that, Amira and her
partner, Chris
Michael, decided to
spend time in South
Africa where their
daughter, Khaya
Karuna, was born in
Port Elizabeth.
As a a graduate
student of
anthropology at Cal
State L.A., Amira
focused on island
and coastal
archaeology and
conducted academic
research with Dr.
Renee Vellanoweth,
in cooperation with
other institutions.
While here, she
organized and
chaired a symposium
at an international
conference,
presented original
research at
professional
conferences,
published several
papers in
peer-reviewed
academic journals,
and was subsequently
hired by a cultural
resource management
firm in Hawaii to
conduct
archaeological
surveys on the
island of Tutuila,
American Samoa.
Working in American
Samoa was an
exhilarating
challenge that
enabled her to
improve her skills
as an archaeologist,
made possible by
dedicated faculty in
the Anthropology
Department including
Dr. James Brady and
Dr. Vellanoweth.
Over the past two
years Amira has
taken an active role
in mentoring
undergraduates
interested in
coastal archaeology.
The majority of her
time on campus is
spent analyzing
faunal remains in
the California
Coastal Archaeology
Lab and studying the
historical ecology
of the Channel
Islands over its
12,000 years of
human occupation.
During her summers,
Amira participates
in the Cal State
L.A.’s San Nicolas
Island
Archaeological Field
School , a project
started by emeriti
faculty member Dr.
Patricia Martz over
20 years ago and
carried on by Dr.
Vellanoweth. Amira
has been the
recipient of many
awards and
recognitions,
including the CSULA
Alumni Association
Scholarship, the
Sally Casanova
Pre-Doctoral
Scholarship, the CSU
Chancellor’s Office
Pre-Doctoral Summer
Internship Grant,
two Cotsen Fellows
research grants, and
Special Recognition
in Graduate Studies.
In addition to her
academic pursuits,
Amira loves spending
time with her
family, whether
cooking, gardening,
hiking, or playing
at the beach. She is
an active member of
the El Sereno
Community Garden,
where her family
enjoys getting their
hands dirty growing
their own food.
Tidepooling and
spending time at
aquariums are other
favorite things,
along with painting,
writing, playing
guitar, and reading.
Amira’s future goals
include continuing
her Channel Islands
research while
pursuing a doctoral
degree, and
eventually, becoming
a professor of
anthropology. |
