I fell in love with archaeology when I opened my mother’s university textbook on ancient Sumeria. There was something amazing about interacting with ancient things and places. It was not only their fanciful nature: it was the time elapsed that they represented and the fact that they were somewhat cognitively dissonant by not being fully understood. Fast forward thirty years, I have come to appreciate even more such ontologically peculiar encounters: meeting another human’s mind across vast amounts of time and space. The past remains perpetually intriguing to me: it is not in humanity’s rear view mirror, but acutely relevant to today, informing where we came from and what we could be (or not be). I appreciate even more delving into the unknown. Challenge and uncertainty are not only unavoidable, they are essential in finding out cool, interesting stuff. But formulating the right questions is as important for meaning-making. This is the foundation of who I am as a scholar and teacher. I strive to cultivate a similar passion, sense of wonder, curiosity, and fearlessness in my students, whatever their personal and academic interests might be.