Name: Tara Rose CassanoYear: Third Year
Hometown: Orange County, California
Course: Ancient History and Archaeology
Astrological Sign: Leo
I heard that you did something pretty exciting last summer; can you tell us about it?
Last summer I went to Kavousi, Crete, which is a rural town in Crete on the Eastern side. I was there for 2 months excavating an Archaic city site called ‘The Azoria Project.’ It was the hardest thing I have ever done, physically at least. But I really enjoyed it and learned so much!
Are you going back this summer?
While I was in Crete last summer I started working in a lab on the ‘Hagios Charalambos Project’, which is a cave used as a Minoan secondary ossuary. So this summer I will be going back and working on that project to study the bones and help figure out how much they can tell us about the individuals themselves and the people that put them there.
Can you describe a typical day working on an excavation site in Kavousi, Crete?
5:30a.m.: Wake up and get dressed.
6:00a.m.: Get picked up by the van and driven into town, where we usually get breakfast at a local bakery.
6:30a.m.: Then we are driven to the bottom of a hill, and have to hike for 10 minutes to get to the site.
7a.m. – 2p.m.: Working on the site, with a 30 minute lunch break. It is a lot of work!
2p.m. – Because we were always covered in so much dirt when we finished, we would go back to the hotel to change into our swimsuits and do the 40 minute walk to the beach to try to get off as much dirt as possible. Then we would eat a ton delicious Greek food and have drinks before we head to bed!
What is your dream job?
My dream would be to be on the cutting edge of research in the field of Osteoarchaeology/Physical Anthropology/Forensic Anthropology. To be either working for a museum, National Geographic or something like that. Eventually teaching. Basically I want to be Indiana Jones, I guess.
Are you in any clubs or societies at St. Andrews?
The Reeling Society, Riding Club (I don’t compete, I just take lessons), and Mermaids.
What is your favorite place in St. Andrews?
Castle Sands. There are usually not too many people and it’s really peaceful. You have the imposing castle behind you and the sea and pier in front of you. It’s a place where you can find a moment of silence and step away from busy uni life.
What was the last movie you saw in the theatre?
The Theory of Everything. I think that Eddie Redmayne should win every Oscar ever! So everyone should go see it.
If you threw a dinner party and could invite anyone, dead or alive, who would invite?
Caligula, Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, and Walt Whitman.
What is the most embarrassing song in your iTunes?
Disney’s Hercules.
If someone handed you a plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Antarctica!
Biggest Celebrity Crushes?
Mathew Goode, Ewan McGregor, James McAvoy, Chris Pine, and Julian Edelman.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Horseback riding, most people don’t know that about me, but I have been riding since I was about 5 years old.
What is your favorite band?
Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy
Favorite show to binge watch?
New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, The Mindy Project and Bones, of course.