Johanna Nelson
Biography
Johanna is originally from Roswell, New Mexico, which fostered her love and desire to learn about all things weird and unusual. She moved to Las Cruces to attend NMSU, where she gained three degrees: a BA in English Creative Writing, a BA in Anthropology, and an MA in Anthropology with a concentration in biological anthropology. Johanna likes understanding the human body and what makes humans unique and similar compared to other primates. She also has a fascination with anthropologically taboo topics, most recently, books bound in human flesh. When she isn’t learning about some new morbid or grotesque fact, Johanna is an avid reader, writer, and baker of excellent Mexican Wedding Cookies.
Why did you decide to become an Academic Advisor?
Johanna has a strong love of helping people and figuring out how things work. Advising allows her to help people thrive at NMSU while focusing on both academics and experiencing the world around them. Additionally, advising allows Johanna to get a behind-the-scenes look at the organization that she attended for five years. She wanted a job where she could learn along with the people she advises. This job offers endless challenges, but also endless possibilities for students to experience all that NMSU and Las Cruces have to offer. Johanna just wanted to be a small part of that.
Did you face any challenges in college?
I faced a plethora of challenges throughout college. Two of the three years I spent on my undergraduate degrees were in quarantine due to COVID-19. It was a time filled with isolation, depression, and lots of binge-watching Netflix original TV shows. I developed bad coping mechanisms that hurt myself and the people that I loved, all while taking 21 credit hours and running myself into the ground. Eventually, I started working full-time, moved back to Las Cruces, and was able to get my degrees, make more friends, and reverse the effects of my negative coping mechanisms.
Why/how did you decide what you wanted to major in in college?
I didn’t really. It changed a few times throughout my academic career as I grew older, took more classes, and found new interests. I ended up with a degree in English because writing has always been an outlet for me. In some ways, it saved my life, and I wanted the opportunity to make people feel less alone through my work. In terms of Anthropology, I wanted a career where I could play with bones all day and it wouldn’t be weird; just kidding (somewhat). I wanted to pursue an education and a career in a field that fueled my curiosity. Anthropology allowed me the freedom to explore lots of things all at once and to adjust my research based on my interests whether it be the innate morbidity of human beings or the things that stress them out.
