火狐体育毕业生哈拉·布朗克服3%的生存几率，通过人类学和考古学发现隐藏的历史

This story is part of a series celebrating 火狐体育’s 火狐体育年春季毕业典礼 graduates – students who embody the 大学’s mission to broaden access to exceptional learning opportunities and contribute to the common good.

When Khara Lillian Brown walks across the stage at 火狐体育’s 春季毕业典礼, she’ll be celebrating more than earning her bachelor’s degree in 人类学 – she’ll be celebrating a victory against extraordinary odds.

在大学期间，布朗只有3%的生存机会。 凭借勇气和决心，她不仅活了下来，而且茁壮成长，通过研究、社区和讲故事找到了自己的目标和激情。

她的韧性使她经历了多次手术和密集的康复。 如今，她正在进行原创研究，获得著名奖学金，并探索自由和以前被奴役的非裔美国人社区的复杂历史。

Maybe I didn’t do as well as I wanted – I’m a perfectionist and hard on myself – but I’ve met people, changed lives, touched people with my story. 这就是一个人所能要求的——成为变革的催化剂。——卡拉·布朗

A Newark native, Brown majored in 人类学 with minors in 考古 and 印第安人和土著研究. 在火狐体育火狐体育大学期间，她将学术研究与火狐体育行动主义结合起来，在校园考古实验室做志愿者，共同创立了俱乐部LadiesFIRST，并参加了美国原住民和土著研究俱乐部以及集体解放联盟等组织。

She also helped launch the Women’s Leadership Conference, organized by the 大学’s 教育机会基金计划. At this year’s conference, she was honored with a 战胜创伤奖, recognized before more than 350 high school students, educators, community leaders and artists.

平衡学术和健康挑战并不简单。

2015年，卡拉·布朗（Khara Brown）因灾难性的肠道衰竭住院后，面临着毁灭性的诊断，导致她瘫痪，几乎无法说话。 医生告诉她的母亲，她有97%的死亡率。 Brown, determined to survive, whispered: “If God created the world from nothing, imagine what He could do with 3%.”

Reflecting on her journey, she says, “To be able to say that I’m in three honor societies, doing my best, graduating – He obviously did some magic with that 3%.”

但克服困难并不容易。

“Maintaining a steady momentum that allowed for proper mental and physical care was the hardest part,” Brown shares. “Finding that balance between what I want to do and what my body can allow me to do was hard as well. You want to be at the same pace as everyone else, but it’s okay if your path is different.”

成就及未来计划

布朗的学术工作集中在18世纪和19世纪的自由和以前被奴役的非裔美国人社区，她在新泽西考古学会会议上介绍了这项研究。

在她的导师、人类学主席克里斯托弗·马修斯的帮助下，布朗研究并比较了新泽西州北部和纽约的三个考古遗址。 She also participated in the prestigious 詹姆斯·麦迪逊的蒙彼利埃考古田野学校， working alongside descendants of enslaved people to map the Burial Ground for the Enslaved. 今年夏天，她将在蒙彼利埃考古部门实习，继续这项工作。

In addition to her archaeological work, Brown deepened her 致力于土著研究 through hands-on experiences at the Munsee Three Sisters Medicinal Farm, which provides traditional foods for the Turtle Clan of the Ramapough Lunaape (Lenape) Nation. 由于工业污染，这个部落再也不能安全地耕种位于新泽西州上林伍德的祖传土地了。

布朗将她的成功归功于广泛的支持者网络。

“Big shout out to my EOF family, Dr. Danny Jean 和 whole gang, my professors Chris Matthews and Mark Clatterbuck, 和 whole 人类学 Department,” she says.

她还对海龟氏族和芒西三姐妹农场的曼恩酋长、在长时间学习期间为她提供营养的同事、以及她的家人和祈祷团体表示深深的感谢。

“卡拉是一个如此了不起的人，她不仅克服了很多困难完成了她的大学学位，而且继续把为更大的利益服务，特别是为服务不足和边缘化的社区服务作为她的目标。 她作为学生、考古学家、教育家和个人的影响将是深远的，”马修斯说。

反思之语

毕业后，布朗计划搬到弗吉尼亚过夏天，庆祝她的30岁生日——感谢她所克服的一切，为即将到来的一切感到兴奋。

“Now that I’m at the finish line, I can sit back and say it was worth it. 在某些时刻，这感觉是不可能的。 But perseverance – that tenacity – is what keeps me going.”

The 大学 will celebrate its graduates at 毕业典礼 on Wednesday, May 7 and Thursday, May 8, 火狐体育, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Story by 玛丽莲·乔伊斯·莱伦, 大学传播与市场营销

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