GRATITUDE

To Dr. Robert Lemelson, thank you for creating and continuing to support the Lemelson Anthropological Honors Program. Your vision made my time at UCLA deeply meaningful and provided a space where this research could grow in ways I never imagined.

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To Dr Linda Garro, Dr Doug Hollan, Dr Tricia Toyota, Dr Koji Lau-Ozawa, Dr Heather Loyd, and T.A. Emilia Holmbeck, thank you for your time, mentorship, and dedication in teaching us every stage of the research process. Your guidance shaped not only this project, but also the researcher I have become.

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To my faculty advisor Tim Taylor, thank you for joining me on this project and for responding with such encouragement, kindness, and thoughtful feedback throughout this process. Thank you for your patience with my busy schedule and for helping guide this project into what it has become.

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To my faculty advisor Jason Throop, thank you for stepping in to support me and helping me navigate my class requirements. Your perspective on theory strengthened this work, and I am grateful for the additional insight and guidance you provided.

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To the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP), thank you for your workshops, guidance, and financial support throughout months of research and analysis. I especially want to thank Dr. Laura Reizman and Silvera Alvarado Luna for helping me navigate scholarship complications with patience, understanding, and kindness. Your support made an enormous difference, and I am deeply grateful.

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To my cohort, thank you for moving through this process alongside me. Thank you for your friendship, acceptance, encouragement, and willingness to learn together throughout every stage of research, writing, and uncertainty. Thank you for creating a space filled with curiosity, passion, and genuine support for one another’s personal and educational endeavors. It has been a privilege to grow alongside such thoughtful, talented, and compassionate people. You are some of the best people I know, and sharing this experience with all of you made this program not only intellectually meaningful, but deeply human. 

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To my Momma and Dad, thank you for cheering me on from afar and for supporting my educational journey, even through my stubbornness and unwavering commitment to my goals. Your belief in me carried me further than you know.

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To my sweet Blake, thank you for stepping up and carrying so much while I pursued my education, especially while beginning your own educational journey at the same time. Thank you for your patience, sacrifices, and unwavering support. I hope I can continue showing up for you the way you have always shown up for me.

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To my elementary school teachers Mrs. Farber and Miss Lin, my middle school teacher Mrs. Arnold, and my high school teachers Mrs. Neil and Mrs. Bowers, thank you for planting the foundation that shaped who I am today. You taught me to love learning, to love reading, and to believe in my ability to pursue difficult things. During moments when I struggle the most, I often think back to the emotional and educational support you gave me, and it continues to carry me forward.

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To my participants, thank you for trusting me with your experiences, your perspectives, and your time. Thank you for sharing your voices with this project and helping make this work possible. This research would not exist without your willingness to contribute to it.

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Finally, thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this process, whether through mentorship, encouragement, patience, or simply believing in me along the way. This project is as much a reflection of your support as it is my work.