As a child, Dr. Beverly Goodman dreamed of being a National Geographic photographer. Instead, as an adult, she's been honored by the publication as an Emerging Explorer - the latest inductee in a family of heroes she grew up idolizing.
Goodman, who attended Harper College in 1992 and 1993, is a coastal geoarchaeologist using underwater excavations to study the ancient history of coastlines in the Mediterranean; her work helps identify what areas are good for future development and untangle mysteries of what happened in the past. Her window overlooks Jordan and Saudi Arabia - but a piece of her heart still belongs to Harper.
Goodman, who graduated high school at age 16, did stints at a university and at Columbia College, dabbling in both physics and photography, and toyed with the idea of studying in Israel - a place she'd visited and loved - before heading to Harper.
Her anthropology course there was among the most memorable; when she transferred to the University of Wisconsin to pursue that major, "I was so well-prepared, it was unbelievable," she says. "The foundation I'd received at Harper more than prepared me. It was fantastic."
Goodman earned an anthropology master's degree from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in geology from McMaster University, spending summers on an Israeli excavation site and earning a Fulbright Scholarship to study in that country for a year. She elected to stay in Israel to launch her career, choosing it over other employment opportunities elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
At Harper, Goodman she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society and recalls seeing famed author Ray Bradbury speak on campus. The Distinguished Alumni honor was icing on the cake; she displayed her nomination certificate on her desk a half a world away. "I'm very proud of my time at Harper," Goodman says. "It's very exciting to be recognized. I'm so proud to have been a student there."
Goodman is the recipient of multiple fellowships and scholarships, and is highly published.
