Finding my way in life was not easy. I endured multiple tragedies to myself and my family in my teens and twenties. After a long struggle, I was able to complete my BA, start a family, and find employment as a database admin. But, I wasn't satisfied with that. I wasn't happy working very hard for other people and their ideas or their gain, with minimal personal benefit beyond dollars and cents.
So, I began planning to go back to school. Although I had studied Physics and Math as an undergrad, I felt that that ship had sailed for me. But, all along, I had also focused on Jewish Studies and Biblical Studies. I began to read more about the world of the Hebrew Bible and became increasingly intrigued by the interconnectedness of ancient civilizations. I felt I wanted to explore these deeply. Although I am naturally inclined to a wider perspective, I understood that a path of study would have a lot of inherent narrowness. I also felt that language study was going to be the hardest part of the picture, so it seemed to be a choice between Assyriology and Egyptology. I can't really say why I chose Assyriology - maybe I thought of it as the underdog to Egyptology, and I've always been attracted to the underdog (in part due to growing up as a Philadelphia sports fan in the 1990s).
I was all gung-ho to get into a program and get started. But, after applying to every PhD program I could find in North America that taught Akkadian, I was rejected by them all (a couple of waiting lists, which amounted to nothing). Persistence has been one of my strengths throughout my life. Although I was devastated, I regrouped and contacted a few schools within traveling distance of my home in North Jersey about their Master's programs. An outlay of $70,000 just to get my foot in the door seemed crazy, but student loans don't feel like much of a burden until you come out on the far end.
I commuted to Yale for 2 years. This phase of my journey was incredibly hectic, especially as I underwent spinal surgery in October and had my first child in November of my first semester! But, I was elated! I began making friends who had similar sitzfleisch (Yiddish for commitment and staying power) for learning about the Ancient World. I became part of a small, inspired community whose entire ethos was to be engaged in study and scholarship. I started writing seminar papers on so many different subjects that intrigued me - it was a veritable intellectual explosion for me.
In thinking forward, I had read about the opening of a new school and graduate program, called the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. I was fortunate to take a course there during my Master's program, and to then gain entry into the doctoral program. The interdisciplinary and interconnected conceptualization of the Ancient World that ISAW offers is directly in line with how I think about things.
Now, with 2 more wonderful children, and an incredible wife, who has her own burgeoning psychotherapy practice, I am so happy with the direction my life is going in. I love being dedicated to scholarship. I love meeting, connecting, and working with colleagues.
Through my many ruminations and discussions about career prospects, I have come to realize the dangerous direction toward which Ancient Studies are headed. This prompted me to start SASA. It's time to work against the downward trend.
Please all, join me. Let's SASA!