Janel Saxel

Janel Sax

My name is Janel Sax and I graduated in 2000. My major was Anthro and I minored in Business Administration. As an undergrad I took advantage of two internships through the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and one through the University of Virginia. At Oshkosh I interned at the Paine Art Center and Gardens for a semester. The credit came through the Museum Techniques course. At the Paine I worked with the curator of collections doing restoration and exhibition planning for the museum. The other internship was at the Menominee Park Zoo on an Independent Study course. At the Zoo I was able to work with primates and other animals doing animal enrichment activities. My archaeology field school credit came through UVA. I worked on a Phase III site at Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s Plantation).

Upon graduation from UWO I was hired by the International Firm Wilbur Smith and Associates to do Phase I survey in West Virginia. The temporary job—which most field jobs are—lasted about 2 months. I knew that I wanted to go to graduate school and I wanted to go to Israel (I had visited the country 6 months earlier). I found the TASP (Teach and Study Program) online. The program allows native English speakers with an interest in Linguistics to teach English as a foreign language and work on a MA. It is collaboration between Tel Aviv and University of Liverpool, England.

Once my West Virginia job was completed I moved to Israel where I am now. I am studying for my MA in Applied Linguistics-English Language Teaching and Learning through the University of Liverpool, England. The University has an extension campus in Tel Aviv where I attend. Along with my studies I am also working for the city of Tel Aviv as an intern. I teach English in an elementary school in a Tel Aviv suburb.

Even though my main interest throughout undergrad was archaeology I was also very interested in linguistics and cultural anthro. Being in Israel allows me to live and observe another culture as an outsider and an insider. I still have a strong interest in archaeology and luckily Israel is a country rich in archaeology and culture. For me, it is the perfect mix of all the aspects of anthropology that interest me. It also allows me to apply what I learned at UWO in all the anthro classes I took—specifically Language and Culture.

I enjoy what I am doing now and know that as long as what I do fills my need for anthro related topics I will be happy. Applying what I know and what I am interested in has helped in finding my way to where I am at.

If you are an anthropology major and want to correspond about any questions or concerns you have, feel free to e-mail me janellsax@hotmail.com.

Return to UW Oshkosh