Music, Theater, and Dance
Melissa Ludke 2012
Employer
Adjunct Instructor
LinkedIn Profile
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-ludke-bb471188/
1. Tell us about your journey since graduation.
I stayed in Grand Rapids initially and interned at the Grand
Rapids Public Museum. Then I decided to pursue graduate school and
went to Georgetown University for a post-baccalaureate program in
Classics, while also interning at the Smithsonian in the National
Numismatic Collection with a fellow alumna. After that I completed a
Masters in Classical Archaeology at Florida State University, and went
on to complete a Doctorate in the same field, which finished in
December 2024. In a full circle moment, I was recently hired as a
Visiting Assistant Professor at GVSU and will start teaching here in
the Fall. Since first attending an archaeological field school during
undergrad, I have now over 10 seasons of excavation in Italy under my
belt and I specialize in studying numismatics, or coinage.
2. Share a favorite Grand Valley memory.
Making ancient Roman food for the last week of class.
3. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Only you know what is best for you and if you fail it just means
you can do better next time.
4. List three words you would use to describe your Grand
Valley experience.
Family, acceptance, and friendship.
5. What difference would you like to make in the world?
As someone who never initially wanted to teach or become a
professor (I wanted to be a curator), it is now my mission to share my
knowledge with students and help them grow, even in the small and
brief way that I influence their lives. Because if my GV professor had
never sat me down and told me graduate school was even a possibility,
my journey would have never happened.
July 2025
Interest Area(s)
Anthropology, Dance
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