Renaissance Girl:
An Interview with Shureice Kornegay
by Dantawn, a Project Exploration student

Dr. Sean Carroll of the University of Chicago, Senator Barack Obama,
Shureice Kornegay, Jean Claude Francois, Project Exploration
executive director Gabrielle Lyon, and Michelle Obama.
Photo: M. Greer © John Reilly Photography

Shureice Kornegay became a Junior Paleontologist in 1999. She is currently an anthropology major at Northern Illinois University and is on Dr. Paul Sereno’s current expedition to Niger.

Dantawn: What is your name?

Shureice Kornegay (SK): My name is Shureice Kornegay.

Dantawn: What school do you go to?

SK: I went to Amundsen. Before that I went to my local school, but then I went to Amundsen. Now I go to Northern Illinois University.

Dantawn: And what community do you come from?

SK: I'm from the North Side.

Dantawn: What Project Exploration programs have you been involved in?

SK: I was in the Junior Paleontologist program, the Old Trail Museum internship program, and the Advanced Paleontology program.

Shureice writing in the field.
Photo: C. Walker © Project Exploration

Dantawn: How old are you?

SK: I’m 20.

Dantawn: What year are you in college?

SK: I’m a Junior.

Dantawn: Now I’m going to ask you some questions on the college. Describe the college application process for you.

SK:To be honest, I had it had it easy, because I had a good counselor and it is important to have a counselor you like and are comfortable with. It’s the truth. You need to have someone you’re real comfortable asking questions, because they help you get through this. They can get you waivers, and all things that you wouldn’t know if you were doing it by yourself. So it’s important to have someone who knows the process better than you so that you’ll know. I had a good counselor, so when I had to fill out my applications I didn’t have to go through too much.

Dantawn: You didn’t have to do the essay?

SK: I didn’t have to do anything but fill out the application, fill out the waiver, sign on the dotted line. I was lucky, I don’t know. But I still got in.

Dantawn: So why did you choose the college you chose?

SK: I spoke with some of my mentors, and I had a choice between Northern and Southern. Honestly I thought that Southern was a party school, that’s why I didn’t go. But then I went to Northern and found out that it was a party school too. But, I ended up choosing Northern.

Dantawn: Do you have a major?

SK: Yes. I’m an anthropology major.

Dantawn: Why did you choose anthropology?

SK: Because I love science and I like people. And I like studying about culture. I’m interested in not just what people do, but why they do it. I’m interested in behaviorology and… I want to know why. That’s all I asked when I was little, “Why? Why? Why?” My momma got tired of me. It’s science and I want to go into because I’m good at asking questions and I think that science is for me. And anthropology is something that I’m really interested in and I think that it’ll work for me. I hope I can keep it up.

Junior Paleontologists Marco Mendez and
Shureice Kornegay in the field.
Photo: P. Sereno © Project Exploration

Dantawn: Describe your college classes that you take, or the professors, especially in the science classes that you take.

SK: I have big classes and small classes. I mean, there’s this hall called “Coe Hall.” Coe Hall is the biggest auditorium hall ever. I mean, you could have your best friend in that class and not see him until the last day before the class is over with. There are 300 people at least in that classroom on a slow day. Personally I don’t like big classes. One time I got into it with the teacher in front of the whole class. The teacher was like, “Scientists believe that big brains equal intelligence.” That is garbage because Neanderthals had bigger brains than us. I’s so uncomfortable asking questions in a huge class. It just is to me. So I don’t prefer big class rooms. I like feeling that I can talk to my teachers, and I don’t feel like that when it’s a big class.

Dantawn: So you like more like high school sized classes?

SK: Yes, honestly I do. When there’s like 20 some students.

...continued