🎓✨ pennstate_anthro alumnus Jason De León has come a long way since measuring obsidian blades in a lab on campus. The anthropologist, who earned both his master's and doctorate in the College of the Liberal Arts, recently won the National Book Award for his groundbreaking work, "Soldiers and Kings," which documents the lives of migrants and smugglers at the US-Mexico border. De León credits his pennstate mentors like Ken Hirth and the late Jeff Kurland for teaching him to think broadly about anthropology. "I loved being in graduate school. I really did not want to leave," he says of his time at Penn State, where he played guitar in local bands, formed lasting friendships with his cohort, and met his wife, fellow anthropologist Abigail Bigham. Today, as a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and UCLA professor, De León continues bringing humanity to one of America's most misunderstood topics. Read the full story from pennstatermag at the link in bio #WeAre #PennState #PSULiberalArts