Character Sketch - Professor Alayna Archuleta

Could Professor Archuleta Look Like This?

Alayna Archuleta is a 32-year old Archeology Professor and Field Researcher at the University of Arizona. She grew up near Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she met her best friend, Heidi Jensen. She earned her PhD at UCLA. Alayna was raised in a culturally rich household by her mother and father, Gabriella and Juan, and had a teasing yet good natured friendship with her younger sister, Julia. Alayna wears a mystical pendant - silver, copper, and turquoise with an ancient spiral maze - gifted from her mother. It was handcrafted by a metal artisan in Sedona, Arizona and imbued with vortex energy.

Alayna teaches archeology courses focused on Mesoamerican civilizations and indigenous cultures of the Southwest. She leads field expeditions and supervises undergraduate and graduate student researchers. Alayna publishes research papers, develops grant proposals, gives public lectures, and engages in community outreach to promote historical preservation. She is especially skilled at analyzing petroglyphs, artifacts, and geographical data to trace ancient settlements. She is currently leading a winter/spring semester research project in Sonora, Mexico to explore possible links between Mayans and Southwestern indigenous tribes.

Alayna drives a burnt orange (her favorite color) Jeep Wrangler, and is still close with her best friend, Heidi. They try to take a "girls weekend" a couple of times a year since they don't live near each other any more. Alayna is 5'5" tall with long, dark brown, wavy hair. Her eyes are dark brown (almost black) with golden brown flecks that show up in the firelight. She has an athletic build and enjoys camping, hiking and rock climbing.

Alayna is the archetypal explorer. She is adventurous, ambitious, intellectually curious, daring, independent, passionate about her work. She is also resourceful, and a natural leader. However, she can also act overconfident, stubborn, and restless. She can sometimes seem aloof and has commitment issues as a result of her difficulty in accepting help. She often tries to shoulder everything herself, which can isolate her, even from those who care about her.