University News

WIU Anthropology Program Celebrates Outstanding Student Ambassadors

April 29, 2026

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MACOMB, IL - - Western Illinois University Department of Anthropology and Sociology is proud to recognize three exceptional students who have gone above and beyond as Anthropology student ambassadors of this year: Grace Fuhrer, Isabella Hanley and Ellie McBride during the academic year.

Through their leadership and volunteer efforts have strengthened the Anthropology program by supporting current students, engaging prospective majors and providing experiential opportunities across campus.

The Anthropology Student Ambassadors program selects committed majors who volunteer their time to serve as leaders within the department and the university community. Ambassadors play a key role in enchanting students' experience by providing resources, mentoring peers and actively recruiting future students.

This year, ambassadors contributed in meaningful ways, including representing the program at Discover Western, conducting one-on-one meetings with prospective students, designing digital promotional materials for departmental events and leading a pottery demonstration at the Hands-On event.

The program reflects the department's commitment to developing student leaders while fostering a culture of engagement and experiential learning. By empowering students to take an active role in promoting anthropology, the initiative helps showcase the discipline's impact and relevance to a wider audience.

Meet this Year's Ambassadors

Grace Fuhrer is a junior, double-majoring in Anthropology and History with a minor in Environmental Studies.

"My love for anthropology has existed as long as I have been able to read. There is something beautiful and entirely human about seeing how similar we are to people from distant times and faraway places. I like how anthropology can be applied to virtually every discipline and provides a framework for better understanding the world around us. This has allowed me to combine my love for biology and the environment with my fascination with human culture. I hope to use my degrees to help preserve the past and to manage access to resources that keep traditions alive," Fuhrer said.

Isabella Hanley is a junior majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Forensic Chemistry.

"I chose the anthropology field because of how diverse the subject is. I am interested in forensic, biological and physical anthropology, as well as archaeology. I find it fascinating that my passion for science and interest in humans as a whole overlap into a subject field." Hanley said.

In addition to her ambassador role, Hanley is currently conducting research with Anthropology faculty member Professor Andrea Alveshere, studying Neurofibromatosis (NF1). Specifically, Neurofibromin and Ras expression via portable DNA sequencing in the social amoeba model "Dictyostelium discoideum." She also serves as vice president of the ACS Chemistry Club.

Ellie McBride is a senior majoring in Anthropology with a minor in History.

"My interest in anthropology began when I took Intro to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology my freshman year, which led me to volunteer in the archaeology lab. Anthropology appealed to me as it is widely applicable to other disciplines and has a hands-on approach to research," McBride said.

McBride is currently completing her senior thesis project analyzing, processing and reporting on an archaeological ceramics collection under the supervision of Professor William Gblerkpor and Professor Jacob Skousen. She is also secretary of WIU's Gray Matters Collective chapter and a member of the Westernaires color guard team.

To learn more about Anthropology and Sociology programs, visit go.wiu.edu/4tnetHP.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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