Inspiring Tomorrow’s Archaeologists with Emily

Meet Emily, one of our incredible mentees in our mentorship program. Having joined The Fair Field Foundation for the first time earlier this year, Emily and her mentor, through one-on-one support and meetings, have made great strides in achieving her goals. 

Her mentor, Chelsea Colwell-Pasch (M.M.A., EMBA, RPA) is the president and senior archaeologist of Colbr Consulting Inc. and a Founding Director here at The Fair Field Foundation, and provides Emily with guidance on how to navigate her objectives. With the field season in full swing in Alberta and BC, Chelsea is also advising Emily through her work in the field! 

Wondering what Emily’s been up to? You’re about to find out!

Where it all started

Before joining the Fair Field Foundation, I had these big dreams and goals that I wanted to accomplish in my career as an archaeologist. However, these goals are awfully ambitious, and of course, starting is always the hardest part, so I kept putting it off. That’s why I signed up for a mentor. I figured if anyone could help me find my footing, it’d be a woman who’s not only lived the life of a CRM archaeologist, but is thriving in it and can guide and help me achieve some of my goals, helping me further my career and thrive in my own experience as a woman and CRM archaeologist in Canada. 

The process itself was easy, I just put in my application with a few details about my interests and goals, and what I’d like to achieve with this mentorship, and not long after that I was paired with Chelsea and we began having mentorship meetings!

The dream that felt too big

Upon the first meeting, I discussed one of my biggest goals in archaeology: making archaeology more accessible to the public. With a few ideas already brewing, I explained my concepts and ideas to my mentor, Chelsea, and she was so supportive–exactly what I needed! She completely inspired me to reach for my goals and reaffirmed that my goal was a gap that indeed needs to be filled. 

We talked about how I could develop my ideas, how big they could get, and what next steps I should take to get the ball rolling. We set a goal that I’d have a prototype of my idea ready to go for our first meeting, and I got to work right away. I found there were lots of different aspects of the project to consider while I put things together, and I identified opportunities to incorporate different technologies, perspectives, and ideas into the process–I ended up having a lot of fun bringing my ideas to initial fruition! That said, I can’t give away all the details yet, and you’ll have to stay tuned for the final product in the future.

My mentor, Chelsea, gave me the jump I needed to begin developing my ideas. She helped me find a starting point and encouraged me to utilize all the resources and technology available to me, such as AI, to create my prototype, and better understand what I will need to fully reach my goals of making archaeology more accessible to the public.

Seeing the potential together

Incorporating AI into this project allowed me to visualize the prototype of my dream and allowed me to see it start to become a reality with limited resources. I am a big believer in incorporating human artists and creators in my work, too, and believe in the importance and integrity of human-produced art, but in this instance, where I wanted to create something but didn’t know where to start, I found it was an excellent tool to get me started, and I would have never considered using it this way if it weren’t for my mentor. What a fantastic opportunity it ended up being to incorporate this new technology into both creative and educational endeavours! 

With some examples and ideas in hand, I met back up with Chelsea, and we had a wonderful and insightful discussion about next steps, the potential scope and impacts of the project, other future goals, and any other work that needs to happen behind the scenes to make my dream a full reality. My goals and dreams in this industry are big, and though I don’t want to share too much too soon, seeing my concept begin to come to life is an unbeatable feeling, and I can’t wait to get started on creating the real thing! Stay tuned to find out what it is when it’s finished–hopefully soon!

What’s next?

Chelsea inspires me to keep going, and her support continues to shape the way I approach my personal and professional dreams. I’ll keep turning to her for guidance as I refine my work, and as I encounter new experiences and challenges working in the CRM archaeology industry. With her support, I’m building confidence in myself and finding my place in archaeology as a woman, and I know I can bring some really incredible, important things to the table in this industry with her encouragement and advice.

I’m deeply grateful to my mentor and The Fair Field Foundation for helping me take the first steps toward a goal that once felt impossible.

Turning ambition into action

If you’ve got big dreams that feel too overwhelming to tackle alone, maybe getting a mentor is your next step. Learn more about our mentorship program, because sometimes, all it takes is one person believing in your vision to help you believe in it too.

Stay connected with Emily and others on this journey by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, where you’ll find a community ready to support you every step of the way.