Howard Tsai received his Ph.D. from Anthropology in 2012.

Howard Tsai was unfamiliar with the Spanish language before he first traveled to Peru for archaeological research, but that initial lack of knowledge did not stop him from falling in love with the country’s people and culture.

“I became fascinated with Peruvian culture and history,” he said. “My first host family were the nicest, most considerate people. I learned so much from them, how to be generous and perceptive. Coming back, I strove to be like that, too.”

And so began a 20-year love affair with Peru that has endured to the present.

Tsai studied at the University of California, Los Angeles for his undergraduate degree in archaeology and anthropology. After graduation, he left the West Coast for the University of Michigan to pursue an anthropology doctoral degree.