{"id":11779,"date":"2025-01-31T09:11:43","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T15:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=11779"},"modified":"2025-01-31T09:11:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T15:11:43","slug":"the-evidence-of-success-uwo-graduating-senior-pursuing-forensic-anthropology-career","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/the-evidence-of-success-uwo-graduating-senior-pursuing-forensic-anthropology-career\/","title":{"rendered":"The evidence of success: UWO graduating senior pursuing forensic anthropology career"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh senior Hannah Vang uses calipers to measure a model of a human skull alongside anthropology associate professor Jordan Karsten.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hannah Vang can\u2019t conceal her excitement when she talks about investigating blood spatter patterns or searching for human remains in a dense forested area.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love every aspect of it,\u201d Vang says. \u201cThe scientific methods, the investigation, and the profile you build\u2014it\u2019s like solving a complex puzzle. And knowing that your work can bring closure to families is really rewarding.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Majoring in anthropology and minoring in forensic investigation, Vang was among the more than 800 Titans crossing the stage at the 60th midyear commencement of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Dec. 14 at Kolf Sports Center.<\/span><\/p>\n

She graduated a semester early and plans to work, ideally, in a medical examiner\u2019s office before going to graduate school to earn a doctorate in forensic anthropology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Vang, the path to forensic anthropology was anything but straightforward. Growing up in Appleton, she began her academic journey without a clear direction, unsure of what she wanted to pursue after high school.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The daughter of Hmong immigrants, Vang knew her parents, who both have technical degrees, wanted her to go to a traditional four-year college.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted us to have us better opportunities,\u201d she said. \u201cThey knew that getting a good education would open doors for us.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a child, Vang had been fascinated by animals and dreamed\u00a0of becoming a veterinarian. However, by the time she reached the point where college decisions needed to be made, her interests had shifted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI no longer wanted to become a vet,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do, but I followed my parents\u2019 advice and enrolled in college anyway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vang chose the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for its ideal distance from home and because her older sister was also attending at the time. What started as a way to check off general education requirements soon led Vang to an unexpected passion: anthropology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two classes drew her into the field\u2014a cultural anthropology class with Heidi Nicholls and a biological anthropology course with Kevin Garstki.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it was her human osteology course with Jordan Karsten that really sparked her interest in forensic anthropology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Karsten\u2019s passion for forensic anthropology was infectious,\u201d she said, \u201cand I quickly realized this was something I wanted to pursue.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The course, which deals with the study of human bones, opened the door for Vang to gain professional experience in the field. Karsten, who regularly consults with local and federal law enforcement agencies, often brings his students to do field work on real cases. Vang has assisted in a handful of field searches for human remains in missing persons\u2019 cases.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you give them a lecture about a forensic process or the way that we would approach a case, they might think that sounds interesting,\u201d Karsten said. \u201cBut when they experience it first-hand, it allows them to just take what they learned in the lecture and actually solidify it in a way that they\u2019ll be able to remember forever, hopefully.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The moment when Vang truly began to feel confident in her decision was when she got involved in fieldwork under Karsten\u2019s mentorship. Forensic anthropology, which involves using human remains to solve crimes or identify unknown victims, is much more than what\u2019s portrayed in TV shows like\u00a0<\/span>CSI,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Vang said, adding,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s not like\u00a0CSI<\/em>\u00a0at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vang quickly learned that forensic investigations require patience, persistence and attention to detail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my first field searches was in October last year,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were looking for remains in a forest, and we searched for eight to 10 hours without finding anything. I was told it\u2019s common not to find anything, but that didn\u2019t make it any less disappointing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the setback, Vang\u2019s resolve only grew stronger.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time Dr. Karsten offers a search, I try to make time to go. It\u2019s an amazing learning opportunity,\u201d she said. Eventually, the hard work paid off. \u201cWe went on another search, and we found remains. It was so rewarding because it felt like all that effort finally meant something.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over summer, Vang and UWO senior Jack Leggett, a senior double-majoring in anthropology and Spanish, worked on a research grant under the direction of Karsten. They\u00a0<\/span>conducted anthropological analyses on a variety of Wisconsin cold cases for the purposes of cataloging and creating a biological profile for the remains. They also accompanied Karsten on searches for human remains.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vang\u2019s journey was not without its challenges. Coming into college without a major or a clear path left her feeling uncertain during her first year and a half. \u201cI felt lost at the beginning,\u201d she said. \u201cIt took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do.\u201d But that uncertainty, she said, has made her academic journey all the more rewarding.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most significant lessons Vang learned from her time at UWO was the importance of developing study habits. As a first-year student, Vang struggled with time management and study routines. \u201cI didn\u2019t have any study habits when I first came to college,\u201d she said. \u201cBut after a tough exam grade, I realized I needed to change. I began developing a study routine, and my academic performance improved dramatically.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back, I feel so proud of how far I\u2019ve come. I didn\u2019t know what I was doing at first, but now I\u2019ve found my passion,\u201d she said. \u201cIt feels like everything has fallen into place.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Written by Grace Lim<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/125322\/the-evidence-of-success-uwo-graduating-senior-pursuing-forensic-anthropology-career\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hannah Vang can\u2019t conceal her excitement when she talks about investigating blood spatter patterns or searching for human remains in a dense forested area.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI love every aspect of it,\u201d Vang says. \u201cThe scientific methods, the investigation, and the profile you build\u2014it\u2019s like solving a complex puzzle. And knowing that your work can bring closure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11924,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[94],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-11779","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-oshkosh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/11779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=11779"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=11779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}