American Academy of Religion

Thanks to AAR's Religion and the Arts Travel Grant, I was able to present my research on giant clam extinction in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands at the 2025 AAR Annual Meeting. AAR made it possible for me to get feedback on my research and connect with other scholars to discuss future scholarly collaborations.

AAR has always been about the ability to connect to other scholars for me. My last two books have been the result of connections that have been forged with fellow scholars with whom I connected through research seminars and units in the AAR. I had my preliminary interview for my position during the Annual Meeting and almost everything I have ever written started out as a presentation at an AAR meeting, regional or national.

The opportunity to present papers, meet senior scholars, discover the scholars in my age cohort, forge both friendships and project partners, serve on committees, and become AAR's first Black woman president was made possible by my membership.

AAR has been a wonderful venue to present my research and learn from the work of other specialists in my field and beyond. Every annual conference provides a cornucopia of panels to attend and opportunities to network with colleagues who keep me connected with the latest trends in my field.

AAR has enabled me to keep up with friends and colleagues, even as we’ve moved to different institutions across the country. The support that comes from these opportunities to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones has been immensely generative for me over the years.