By Guy Spriggs

Anthropology junior Chi Woodrich will be the first to admit that he took an unusual path to studying at the University of Kentucky. After graduating from high school, Woodrich spent 20 years working as an auctioneer and auto auction manager.

But when his father passed away, Woodrich – who is the only person in his family without a college degree – decided to go back to school. “My father valued education. This is a chance to do something I want to do, but it’s also a tribute to him, to honor his memory by going back to school,” Woodrich said.

“I worked for 20 years, saved all my money, scraped together, had gifts from my grandparents, and had enough to come back for schooling instead of taking out student loans and repaying them,” he said. “I’m a bit backwards in that way.”

After moving to the Lexington area with his wife, Woodrich made the decision to attend UK because of his background in agriculture and desire to attend a land grant university. Now, as a result of his work at UK, Woodrich has been granted the Native American Undergraduate Archaeology Scholarship from the Society for American Archaeology (SAA).

Woodrich is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, an Indian tribe in Southwest Wisconsin. Before moving to Kentucky, Woodrich sat on the Board of Directors for the Ho-Chunk Department of Heritage Preservation. As he explains, this was a formative experience for him, personally and academically.

“This sparked my interest in cultural resource management and archaeology. I have a strong interest in history but I’m also very hands-on, so pursuing studies in archaeology is the best of both worlds.”

He was also influenced by working with anthropology professor Lisa Cliggett. “She was instrumental in my decision to pursue archaeology,” he said. “It was her guidance that brought me to this field initially.”

Importantly, Woodrich also learned about the scholarship in an unusual way: from a memo that crossed the desk of a family friend working in the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. After hearing of this unique scholarship opportunity, Woodrich solicited the help of anthropology professors Richard Jeffries and Kristin Monroe in putting together his application. “Then the e-mail came and I was extremely excited,” he said.

Woodrich considers the scholarship a great honor. “It’s a big deal for me,” he said, “especially coming from the premiere organization in the field in which I’d like to work.”

According to Woodrich, the SAA scholarship is a sort of insurance policy, making his dreams of advanced study and work in archaeology that much easier to achieve. “My funds are dwindling, so to have this infusion of money is a big moral boost for me. It reignites my desire to finish up and apply to graduate school,” he explained.

Woodrich’s goal is to work in cultural resource management – what he refers to as the everyday, in the trenches work of archaeology. “It’s very important and often times not glamorous work, but it saves anything that’s left of often times Native American cultures here in the United States,” said Woodrich.

“Cultural surveys have to be done any time there are federal funds used to disturb ground. They survey it and see if anything turns up. That’s the kind of things I want to do,” he continued.

As Woodrich sees it, cultural resource management gives him the opportunity to rescue a history. “Just the opportunity to possibly preserve a part of my Native American culture – and if not mine, then the greater culture – is what I hope to do,” he explained.

“I want to thank the Society for American Archaeology and my professors for giving me the opportunity to move forward with my schooling and my career.”