Malikah Rashid chose to attend ENMU when her professor from the University of West Georgia, Dr. Kerriann Marden, encouraged her to “go west to study anthropology and archaeology.”“I love the people at ENMU,” said Malikah Rashid, a graduate student studying anthropology at Eastern New Mexico University.
Malikah quickly made herself at home with the Greyhound community during her first semester in fall 2016. She “enjoys” the small and friendly community of New Mexico.
She is involved with the Blackwater Draw Museum, Greyhound Sound, Alpha Kappa Si, Mu Alpha Nu and serves as the vice president of Lambda Alpha Beta, also known as the Anthropology of Honor Society.
“Staying busy is when I do my best and I function better when I am involved in other clubs and organizations,” said Malikah.
This is her eighth and final season participating in the color guard. Her favorite place at Eastern is “standing and performing in front of all the fans at the Greyhound Stadium.”
During concert season, she plays clarinet in the ENMU Band.
Malikah is one of nine children in her family. Most of her family is from New York; she is the first to come to the south to study, earning her undergraduate degree at the University of West Georgia in Atlanta, Georgia.
Her close companion and advisor Dr. Kerriann Marden encouraged her to attend ENMU. “Dr. Marden also came from UWG and was my advisor there. She told me to go west to study anthropology and archaeology, so now I am here.”
Malikah runs an open lab in the Art and Anthropology Building on campus.
“It’s very comforting to be around bones,” she explained. “I am totally and completely interested in animal bones.”
Malikah wants to be a forensic science anthropologist. Working in the open lab and getting experience at Eastern has allowed her to put her “foot in the door” within her field.
Her fellow graduate students are “encouraging. I am happy to be a part of this student body; everyone is willing to help me.”
Her biggest tip for anthropology students is “to do your reading. We read so much in our field and if you don’t do the reading assignment, you won’t learn much.”
Malikah encourages students to consider joining the growing anthropology program because “Eastern has professors that are top notch and the program is amazing.”
(Written by David Aguirre)
