April Crabtree '04

Associate Director of Admission
Coordinator of International Admission

Send Message | crabtram@eckerd.edu | (727) 864-8848 | AIM: EckerdApril

Territory

Washington DC, Delaware, Georgia, International, Maryland, and US Abroad

Birthplace

Knoxville, TN

My Eckerd College

I graduated from Eckerd in 2004 with the most amazing experiences imaginable! I chose Eckerd because I was looking for something different, something outside of what I was used to that was going to allow me to explore and provide me new experiences. What I received from Eckerd was far more than that. I was involved in everything I could find, from community service with Eckerd College Homeless Outreach and the Alliance of Concerned Individuals, to academic clubs and honor societies such as Sigma Xi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Bipedal Society. Although I found myself busy 24 hours a day, I feel like I only experienced a tenth of what Eckerd had to offer. You can never be bored here!

What is Anthropology?

Whenever I tell people I majored in anthropology they get that glorious glass-eyed look. What is this anthropology? I studied anthropology from a sociocultural perspective. I was looking at the ideas of human similarities and differences in various cultures. As Nancy Banks-Smith once said, "Anthropology is the science which tells us that people are the same the whole world over except when they are different." Anthropology at Eckerd offered the opportunity to explore a variety of cultures - human and otherwise! I spent hours at Lowry Park Zoo for a primates course, took a course in archaeology, and went to Cambodia for five weeks with Dr. Victoria Baker, Professor Emeritus, to study education. Anthropology as a study of culture is everywhere!

Southern Hospitality

Grab a glass of tea and stay a spell. Eckerd is a welcoming home for new students, staff, and faculty. Faculty have an open-door policy and are happy to see you! Being able to stop in to ask questions or just catch up separates Eckerd from many schools. The faculty here makes us truly unique. With a devotion to student learning and the Eckerd experience, our faculty work year-round to provide students with the experience that will help them succeed while here and after they leave. The warm environment, and I don't mean just the weather, make this a great place for a student to succeed.

Prepared for the World

Many people might say 'Eckerd, where's that? Never heard of it.' But for a little school, we pack a big punch! During my time here, I had the opportunity to accomplish things one might only think those 'Big Name' schools can offer. I was one of the inaugural members of our Phi Beta Kappa chapter, did a year-long internship at the Florida Holocaust Museum, and left Eckerd for a year in Poland on a Fulbright Fellowship. Eckerd has a long history of Fulbright Scholars and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars!

Where in the World is April?

One of the highlights of an Eckerd College education is the ability to travel abroad. I spent a fantastic semester abroad in Hong Kong and was able to travel to Thailand over Chinese New Year. This really sparked my interest in East Asia and further compelled me to study with Dr. Baker in Cambodia and Vietnam after graduation. While I was in Poland on my Fulbright, I traveled in Germany, Greece, Austria, and Slovakia adding to my European odyssey. I still love to travel! Eckerd's philosophy of helping students create a truly global perspective gives you a great experience while changing the way you see your campus and your country in this changing global community. Where to next? Maybe somewhere near you!