As students, there’s always a path that we expect to follow: take courses in correspondence with a major; graduate with a specific degree; and find a job within that same field. But for Akeia Bowman de Barros Gomes ’00, her education and degree brought her through many fields, and she’s had the opportunity to bring her values and knowledge from her time at Salve Regina through these fields too.  

During her time at Salve, Akeia worked with the Office of Career Development to look for job opportunities. Before her graduation, she was fortunate enough to find a job in a research lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. It was during her time in this position that she decided to pursue a graduate degree. In turn, Akeia attended UConn to get a Master of Arts degree and then a Ph.D. in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology.  

As an Aquidneck Island resident, Akeia lived off-campus while earning her degree. She lived downtown in an apartment off Broadway, but that wasn’t her original plan while applying to colleges. “I thought I wanted to leave Newport and never look back,” Akeia explained. She attended the University of Notre Dame in Indiana for her first year of college. “I discovered that I hated being away from the ocean, and I didn’t like being away from home. So, I came back and went to Salve Regina because of the programs offered and of course, because there’s no better location.”  

Living off-campus didn’t stop Akeia from getting the full Salve Regina experience. She was often on-campus for art galleries, anthropology classes, coffee breaks between classes and club meetings. Akeia was a part of the Hispanic National Honor Society and loved spending time at Jazzman’s Café. “It was a great place to grab a coffee and a snack while getting some work done between classes!” Akeia exclaimed, remembering her studying sessions here.  

Akeia reflects that one of her greatest mentors at Salve Regina was her Art History professor, Gabrielle Bleeke-Byrne. “She was a great mentor in and out of the classroom. She always checked in on how I was doing, and we had many incredible conversations after class. If she thought I needed to talk, she wouldn’t hesitate to invite me to her home for a visit. I wasn’t even an art history major or minor, but Gabrielle gave me a true love of art.” Akeia even attributes her favorite Salve Regina memory to an art gallery installation created by the Museum Studies class on Bellevue Ave. In addition to her love of these art classes, Akeia’s favorite professors were Dr. Mayer in Anthropology and Sister Prudence. 

When asked what she would tell another student considering attending Salve Regina, Akeia said that her favorite part of the university was when there were professors and administration that demonstrated the Catholic Social Teachings while taking the concept of community to heart. “Especially if you’re coming to Salve Regina from far away, while it’s a beautiful campus with amazing views, the classes and the campus really gave me a sense of community.” Akeia demonstrated this sense of community by participating in Learning Unlimited. This was a one-credit course in which students were able to work and explore the local area with people with learning disabilities.  

After graduating from Salve Regina in 2000, Akeia has taken what she learned with her into the professional world. “Liberation Theology really grounded me and my perspective on the world going into my profession and in the way in which I choose to conduct myself. In many of my courses, I was taught that the work I do should address the needs of the oppressed and people who didn’t have the same advantages or voice that I hold. I wanted to be an archaeologist, but my work in archaeology has focused on telling the stories and uncovering the histories of marginalized people. It’s because of my job that I’m able to give them a voice in telling that history today,” Akeia explains. “I wanted to be a professor, and I taught courses in Human Rights and Global Health so that my students could see how their actions can either improve the lives of others or do further damage.  And in my work now, I have returned to using my scholarship to make sure that the history, perspectives and voices of Native Americans and African Americans are included in the historical record.” 

Currently, Akeia works as the Senior Curator of Maritime Social histories, where she can work on curatorial projects of race, Indigenous histories, ethnicity, slavery and diversity in New England’s maritime activities as it relates to the site and collections of Mystic Seaport Museum. With her position at Mystic Seaport Museum, Akeia was also appointed as a Visiting Scholar to Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.  

Looking at her future in this role, she plans to engage with questions of race and sovereignty while weaving new narratives with the creative use of visual and material culture, archaeology, oral traditions, and songs and performance. Additionally, Akeia leads a curatorial team in the development of education programs, both in-house and online, related to those themes. Akeia continues to share the foundational values that blossomed amid her experience at Salve Regina throughout her thriving career and diverse fields of work.