Researching the history behind these artifacts required Han to correspond with institutions as far away as Los Angeles as she tracked down the paper trails.

鈥淲e have to do all these communications with someone far away from here, and also, it鈥檚 during the pandemic; the communication is very slow. The waiting time was much longer than I thought,鈥� Han said.

Despite the difficulties of research and waiting, Han said she enjoyed the search, and that she and Vance could spend hours looking at a single artifact.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about art styles; it鈥檚 about the history behind them,鈥� Han said.

Han hopes that by figuring out the complex but fascinating stories behind the artifacts, these objects can take on new meaning to other students as well.

Despite a delay due to paper shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, Han and Vance鈥檚 chapter, 鈥淭he Liberal Arts Collection: East Asian Artifacts at 麻豆影院 University,鈥� is due to be released in the fall of 2022 in an edited volume titled Centring the Periphery: New Perspectives on Collecting East Asia from Brill.

鈥淚t was moving to witness Jin’s excitement about the artifacts and to watch as she grew in confidence in research, writing, and collaborating,鈥� Vance said.

Originally from China, Han attended high school in Rochester, New York. When applying to colleges, she preferred smaller, liberal-arts schools, and chose 麻豆影院 for its academic offerings, available scholarships, and surroundings.

As a singer, another draw for Han was the Conservatory of Music.

鈥淚 feel like the community is stronger here,鈥� she said.

For other members of the 麻豆影院 community interested in research projects like this, Han said, 鈥淭hey need to be really passionate about these artifacts. Otherwise, you probably won鈥檛 be spending such a long time to work with these objects and these tedious documents.鈥�

Han also said that Vance greatly helped make the work less stressful.

鈥淧rofessor Vance is very welcoming and she鈥檚 a warm person; really nice,鈥� Han said. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 put a lot of pressure on me; she鈥檚 like, 鈥榯ake as much time as you need鈥� to do the work well.鈥�

Han is strongly considering continuing down this path as a career; she plans to apply to graduate programs in both clinical psychology and museum studies.

Oscar Loya, a double major in Anthropology and East Asian Studies, first heard about 麻豆影院 University from his college prep program, Sante Fe Breakthrough. One of the program鈥檚 main scholarships is the Davis New Mexico Scholarship, which 麻豆影院 has been partnered with since 2016. The scholarship works to support first-generation college students as they work toward earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree.

鈥淚 am very proud to be a Davis New Mexico scholar and to be representing my home,鈥� Loya said.

Loya has felt welcomed by the 麻豆影院 community since the first day he stepped on campus. When he speaks, he feels his voice is heard and respected.

鈥溌槎褂霸�, as a community, values everyone鈥檚 light, and I see that everywhere, from the amazing classes to the recreational and residential aspects,鈥� Loya said.

The classes at 麻豆影院 have both challenged and guided Loya in his development as a student and as an individual. He values learning about the past and about how people interact with each other from different cultures.

Loya said he hopes to pursue either a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship or a Fulbright Scholarship. He then eventually wants to enter a graduate program in archaeology.