Following her passion for anthropology social studies teacher Dr. King went through a long and challenging process before receiving her  PhD and becoming an anthropology teacher.

“I fell in love with anthropology when I was a junior in highschool when I had a teacher who was very interesting, from that my interest grew the more I learned,”  King said.

King was inspired by this teacher who gave her books to read and took her and the class to many different museums. She even took King to an anthropology lecture at Harvard University.

After high school King attended the University of Cincinnati where she got a masters degree in biological anthropology. She continued to UCLA to get her PhD, however she decided to get the degree in cultural anthropology instead of biological. To do this King had to get another masters degree in cultural anthropology. To get her PhD King worked in the Navajo Reservation, where she lived without electricity running water, a dirt floor, and a hole cut for a door.

“That was challenging because it was so different from what was typical for me, but eventually you adjust,” King said. “It was hard to be away from friends and family for that long, but I really wanted to be there so I did it.”

King received her PhD in nine years, one year earlier than most people at UCLA.

“I really focused on what I wanted to do and started with all of the requirements,” King said. “I was really driven and knew what I needed to do.”

After receiving PhD, King became a teacher in the social studies department where she teaches Anthropology.

“My favorite part of teaching is the students because they make every day interesting and different, I like being around them,” King said. “I would probable shrivel up and disappear if I was in an office somewhere.”