Louis Carvell
Assistant Account Executive for FCB New York (creative advertising for NY Mets)
Louis’ Purchase experience in his own words:
“So, what is anthropology?” is a question that I am often faced with answering every time I tell somebody that I majored in the study. Without the wonderful professors in the SUNY Purchase Anthropology department, I would most likely be asking the same question. Coming from a background of parents who both worked in advertising, my plan was to major in communications throughout college. However, going into my sophomore year, I decided to enroll in an Introductory Anthropology course with Professor Kim in order to fulfill credit requirements. As the semester progressed, I began to challenge myself and dig deeper into the content. Not only was I beginning to grasp the concepts, I enjoyed writing about the recurring themes found throughout the course as well. As someone fascinated with understanding people and their point of view, anthropology is the perfect way to pinpoint the why: Why does someone think the way that they do? Why does someone believe what they believe?
One fun fact about myself is that I live, breathe, and up until graduation, played baseball. This is something that Professor Kim picked up on quickly as we began to form our relationship. As senior year came around, the million dollar question of “what topic should I choose for my senior project?” began to arise. After discussing with Professor Kim, I decided to focus on analyzing baseball and its longstanding ties to American nationalism. In order to fulfill my communications major requirements, I decided to split my senior project up into separate chapters. These chapters ranged from a media analysis of baseball coverage in Sports Illustrated between 1994-2021, to a participant-observation write-up of a 2022 New York Yankees playoff game. With continuous support from the Anthropology faculty at Purchase, I was able to channel my passions and turn them into a year-long senior project that I am very proud of. Sure, I’m happy that I wrote a fulfilling and rewarding senior project, however that is not why I’m happy that I made the decision to double major in communications and anthropology.
The important part about joining the Anthropology department is that the professors are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that their students are successful. I am thankful for the reality that has taken shape following my graduation from Purchase in May 2023. I was able to land a job at FCB New York as an Assistant Account Executive working on the creative advertising for the New York Mets. Because of my senior project research, as well as the chain reaction of events that followed after signing up for an introductory anthropology course, I feel equipped to handle to my future.