Ohio State Marion's Anna Willow is teaching others what makes us human
She’s an artist turned anthropologist — with an eye to the future.
“As a kid I was into dance and then art,” Anna Willow said. “But I was always also an avid reader and thoughtful observer. I always loved animals and nature. It took me some time to develop a clear career path. I wanted to be an artist, then work in environmental education, and then in the end anthropology chose me, rather than me choosing it.”
Today, Willow is a professor of anthropology at The Ohio State University at Marion.
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“I teach classes, supervise graduate students, conduct ethnographic research and publish books and articles,” she said.
“When I discovered the anthropological way of seeing the world,” she added, “it seemed like it had always been my way. I just didn’t have the words for it yet. I didn’t necessarily think I’d become a professor, but I did have several family members in academia, so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary.”
Her educational journey
Willow was born in Cincinnati and grew up in Milwaukee. She graduated from high school there in 1994, then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute.
“I enjoyed living in California, but I decided to return to Wisconsin to pursue a more academic major," Willow said. "I transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison my junior year, where I majored in anthropology and minored in environmental studies.
“I emerged from my undergraduate degree wanting more than anything to have a positive influence on the global environment," she said. "I didn’t set out to pursue that goal within academia, but I enjoyed graduate school and was good at it. I love that as an anthropologist I got to see other ways of living and thinking and realize that we aren’t locked into the cultural patterns we see today. Another world is possible. I also love the combination of teaching and research that being a professor make possible.”
Willow earned her first master’s degree from the University of Michigan in natural resources and environment, with a focus on environmental behavior.
“After that,” she said, “I returned to the University of Wisconsin for my PhD studies. I ended up with a second master’s degree along the way. I finished my degree in 2008.
“I thought I would pursue a career in environmental education after my first master’s degree,” she added, “and I did do this for a while. I led nature hikes and taught kids to spot and identify birds and pond life. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even pay my student loans on a naturalist’s salary, which is unfortunate given how essential this kind of work is for the future of the world.”
Willow started in 2009 at Ohio State Marion, where Leslie Beyer-Hermsen is the assistant dean.
“When I think of Anna, I think of advocacy and activism,” Beyer-Hermsen said. “She encourages our students to explore what’s important to them and to actively engage and make a difference in their communities. She’s encouraging and positive, while at the same time not shying away from asking the tough questions, which results in our students stepping up to the task and excelling.”
“I came here because I wanted the stability of a tenure track job, instead of moving around for multiple postdocs and visiting positions," Willow said. "I would like to think that my life’s path is far from over. I’m excited to see what new research projects and new courses I develop in the years still to come.”
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Anna Willow and her path to teaching anthropology at Ohio State Marion
