Victoria Gum MRGS '12

After graduating from MRGS, Victoria has had many unique educational and work experiences. Below Victoria shares an in-depth and honest overview of

her fond memories and learning experiences from Gov School, and shares a bit of advice for prospective students.

Post Graduation

"I graduated from high school in 2012 and went straight into college at William & Mary. I finished undergrad in 2016 with a BA in anthropology and also minored in linguistics. Between 2016 and 2019, I worked as an archaeologist for both a preservation/education nonprofit and a cultural resource management (aka contract archaeology) firm. From 2019 to 2021 (and in summer 2022), I worked as an archaeologist for Colonial Williamsburg, notably at the First Baptist Church site where I became very involved in community driven research.

In August 2021, I entered the MA program in Historical Archaeology at William & Mary, and I plan to graduate in May 2023. My thesis research is on the First Baptist site at Colonial Williamsburg and the ways in which archaeological research in the 1950s and the creation of the museum both built on and perpetuated a system of racism and white supremacy. I am currently applying to PhD programs in anthropology. My main academic interests are the anthropology of science, scientific ethics, biocultural anthropology, and activist scholarship."

Key Memories & Take-Aways

"I loved getting to know people from other counties instead of just my high school, and I loved being in an environment where everyone wanted to be there. Honestly some of my best memories are taking a break from research and getting breakfast from the culinary arts program on Fridays (do they still do that??)"

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Note: We still do extended break at Gov. School and it remains a cherished Friday ritual for students. With our move in location coming in 2023, it may have to be altered, but it was nice to see through Victoria's response how much of an impact it has on the sense of community and student love at MRGS.

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"I think the biggest difference gov school made for me that normal high school could never have provided was the chance to conduct my own research – projects I chose, designed, performed, and presented. And I was the only one doing my project; everyone else had their own interests. It provided such a diverse learning community. I was doing agricultural research, but my friend was planning an environmentally-friendly wedding, and our classmates were cloning flowers or working in neurobiology labs. I really do think it helped build confidence and accountability. The presentation experience, especially, is key."

"Obviously, I haven’t followed a path directly based on the gov school curriculum. But I do think the program helped me in what I have done since. For me personally, the biggest benefit of gov school was that it got me out of my comfort zone. It was a challenge. I don’t even mean the classes being hard. I mean figuring out how to schedule my time to get everything done – I had to leave my house at 6:15 to get to the bus on time, and for both years I was in gov school I didn’t have electives at all. Instead I had double math and double science, plus a few clubs I was part of. It was a lot of time and a lot of work, and in all honesty freshman year of college felt way easier than senior year of high school! Add to that going in with original research experience and plenty of practice with formal writing and presentations, and it was a huge help starting college."

"...throughout the past decade (wow) I have built on the foundation of the gov school experience to get where I am today."

Advice for Prospective Students

"Definitely give it a try! I honestly did NOT want to go to gov school. My parents really pressured me to apply, and I was a little disappointed when I got accepted. Then I went and it was an absolutely critical experience for me. Even if you think it sounds hard, or you’re not interested in environmental science and agriculture, do it. You will love it, and you will learn way more than you expect."