Carmela Morada in the Emergency Operations Center, a central location for senior officials from city, state, and federal agencies to coordinate response efforts

When I told my parents that I was going to major in anthropology, their immediate reaction was “What can you do with that?” As I looked down at the first page of the Handbook for Anthropology Majors, I explained to them that I would “better understand humans biologically and culturally and that anthropology is multidisciplinary.” After an awkward silence and a hesitant laugh, I told them that anthropology just felt right to me. Little did they know that I would gain skills applicable to so many fields.

Since I left Washington University, I have used my anthropological training in public health and emergency management. While working at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, I contributed to a study that followed Hurricane Katrina victims from Louisiana and Mississippi. During the summer of 2007, I went to New Orleans and Baton Rouge with several research assistants to conduct in-person interviews with Katrina victims. Two years after the storm, it was evident that recovery was slow and still a big problem. The majority of the participants in the study did not live in the homes they occupied prior to the storm; some still lived in FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] trailer parks. Because housing and businesses were destroyed by the storm, the economy was slow and some respondents had trouble maintaining a stable income. The study of anthropology allowed me to see beyond the surface problems to a secondary impact of this catastrophe: The respondents’ self-esteem and mental health were also failing because of their problems finding jobs and returning home. The results of this study brought attention to the underlying issue of mental health problems that would have lasting effects on the health of this population.

Currently, I work at the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) as an emergency preparedness specialist. I develop contingency plans that guide the city’s response to natural and manmade emergencies — from extreme weather to labor disputes. I apply the tools of anthropology to understand the similarities and differences of each city agency and, with this knowledge, guide the agencies to develop plans that keep more than eight million New Yorkers safe.

In New York City, OEM plays the role of a coordinating agency. To complete a plan, I have to demonstrate the importance of collaborative citywide planning to each agency partner. On every plan that I develop, I take two types of perspectives: the agency’s point of view (emic) and the overall citywide point of view (etic). With the emic perspective, I understand an agency’s strengths, weaknesses, and concerns. Identifying with each agency partner helps with group negotiation and facilitation. With the etic perspective, I analyze each agency’s strengths and create a plan that coordinates multiple city agencies’ response operations. In the end, a citywide plan is developed that pleases all agencies.

Anthropology has given me skills to understand different cultures, human behavior, and relationships, and it has strengthened my critical thinking. I have applied these skills to every job that I have held since college; they are transferable and applicable to any future careers. So, back to my parents’ question, “What can you do with that?,” I can confidently answer, without hestiation: “I can do anything.”

Carmela Morada, AB 2005 from Washington University and MPH 2007 from Columbia University, is an emergency preparedness specialist with the New York City Office of Emergency Management.