The WAPA student member serves as a liaison between WAPA and the student community, offers comments and suggestions on WAPA programs and activities, and helps involve students in WAPA. The main responsibility is to attend periodic board meetings and most monthly meetings, and to keep WAPA informed about student realities and needs. Other, specific duties will be developed with the student's interests in mind, but may involve activities with the membership, newsletter and mentor program chairs.

Successful student members are proactive and interested in helping strengthen WAPA as an organization that can serve both the student community specifically and the professional anthropology community at large. The student member works directly with the WAPA president and other board members as needed.

There are several benefits for the WAPA student board member. Most important, this is an excellent opportunity for networking with anthropologists in the DC area. Attendance at annual professional meetings can be quite costly; as a key player in this local practitioner organization, you can easily meet other anthropologists working in your sector (e.g., environment, policy, health, development, archaeology, government), and other anthropology students. This position offers an excellent resume enhancement, and also helps develop such professional skills as outreach and event organizing. Learn what it takes to run a volunteer-based organization, and learn what local anthropologists are doing both inside academia and practicing in the field to solve real world problems.

Past members have helped organize and conduct WAPA workshops, have developed WAPA programs, and have been instrumental in developing and implementing outreach mechanisms to local universities (to students, professors, and academic departments) to ensure these key stakeholders are informed of WAPA activities.

The student attends the WAPA board and committee meetings as available, as well as regular monthly meetings. The three regular WAPA social events also provide an avenue for networking. Board members are receptive to student input, and work to facilitate increased participation of and access to students.

This is a one year term, from January through December. The student board member will receive a free, two-year membership to WAPA and the mentoring of a WAPA professional of their choice. The application period is October through November.

Past student board members