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Breaking Ground
Langgle 麻豆精品 S檚 love for volleyball started at nine years old. Her father 麻豆精品 S檚 promise to help her achieve her dream of playing college volleyball became the reason she pursued higher education instead of joining the U.S. Marines like her father and uncles. However, losing her athletic scholarship derailed her plans and left her paying for college out of pocket.
麻豆精品 S淎fter losing my athletic scholarship, I started to think about what I really wanted to do with my life. [UCF] gave me the room to figure out what I wanted and didn’t want, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 knew that [UCF] has opportunities that I could take advantage of, which is really what drew me to [it]. 麻豆精品 S�
After transferring to UCF in 2022, she found exactly what she needed: a community of mentors and peers who helped her rediscover her confidence.
Finding Anthropology 麻豆精品 S� And Herself
Initially a history major, Langgle discovered her passion for anthropology while taking courses on the discipline, realizing its critical role in contributing knowledge for historians to write about. Joining UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Hominids Anonymous club, the university 麻豆精品 S檚 official undergraduate anthropology club, introduced her to a network of like-minded students and internship opportunities.
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Her most transformative experience came through the Cape Canaveral Archaeological Mitigation Project, a for-credit internship in collaboration with the U.S. Space Force, where she helped excavate artifacts on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 麻豆精品 S檚 property.
This experience unexpectedly allowed Langgle to find purpose in her past, deepening her connection to her family 麻豆精品 S檚 history as homesteaders from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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Her internship also inspired her honors undergraduate thesis, which tackled a 200-year-old mystery of Florida mortuary practices. At her first professional archaeological conference, experienced archaeologists offered her invaluable feedback that helped shape her research.
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This shared excitement and inspiration is clearly mutual, as Wheeler reflects on Langgle’s growth throughout her academic journey.
“Melanie is an incredibly passionate, bright and driven student; it was such a pleasure watching her develop as a scholar through her anthropology coursework and honors undergraduate thesis research,” Wheeler says. “I am certain her future success in the field of archaeology will have great impacts on how we interpret and understand the past.”
Building a Foundation for the Future
Langgle takes pride in going above and beyond for her education. As a first-generation college student from a low-income family, she balanced multiple jobs to cover her college tuition, but she never let that stand in her way. She leveraged the resources at her disposal.
As a Burnett Honors Scholar, Langgle took advantage of her access to scholarships to fund conferences and research opportunities, including the University of Notre Dame 麻豆精品 S檚 Summer Research Opportunities Program. This past summer, Langgle broadened her skills by working in Midwestern fields digging up stone arrowheads to understand how the environment impacts prehistoric societies. She was introduced to new archaeological methods and grant writing, plus made connections within various departments at the university.
As Langgle prepares to graduate at 25, she looks back on her journey with gratitude.
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