2025 Dig Scholarship Winners
Congratulating BAS’s 2025 scholarship recipients
For almost five decades, the Biblical Archaeology Society has been connecting volunteers with opportunities to participate in some of the most exciting and groundbreaking archaeological excavations in the Near East and around the Mediterranean. In this pursuit, BAS puts together a yearly list of dig sites looking for volunteers, in addition to offering dig scholarships. For the 2025 excavation season, BAS received many incredible applicants for our dig scholarship program and we are pleased to highlight this year’s winners. All images courtesy the scholarship recipients.
Juan Andrade
Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem
Juan Andrade is a student from Long Island, New York, with a deep passion for archaeology, classical philosophy, and uncovering the stories of ancient civilizations. He currently works as a teaching assistant at Brentwood High School and is pursuing a path in classical history and archaeology. This summer, he will join the excavation at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Thomas Barrett
Tel Shimron, Israel
Thomas Barrett is a senior at Brigham Young University studying geospatial science and technology as well as history. He is thrilled to join the Tel Shimron excavations this summer and is aiming to become an archaeological GIS and remote sensing specialist in the future.
Caroline Boswell
Tel Dan, Israel
Caroline Boswell is a finance and religion major at the University of Georgia who has immersed herself in religious studies courses that have deepened her passion for the subject. She anticipates joining the Tel Dan excavation, where she’ll delve into the geography of the Bible and connect with others who share her enthusiasm for the Old Testament.
Alexandria Crosby
Antiochia ad Cragum, Turkey
Alexandria is a junior at the University of Houston studying anthropology, classical studies, and philosophy. She is looking forward to broadening her global perspective through the Antiochia ad Cragum Archaeological Research Project in Turkey. Alexandria is excited to gain first-hand experience exploring how archaeology can deepen our understanding of human behavior.
Nimesh Fonseka
Keros, Greece
Nimesh Fonseka is a junior anthropology student at the University of Maryland. His areas of interest are underwater archaeology and Aegean archaeology. This summer, he will participate in the excavations at Keros, the largest settlement and earliest maritime sanctuary of the Early Bronze Age in the Cyclades, Greece.
Julio Barcudi Godoy
Tel Azekah, Israel
Julio Barcudi Godoy is a priest from Mallorca, Spain, and a student at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, where he is specializing in history and archaeology. He has also studied at Leiden University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His experience at Tel Azekah will enrich his academic formation by excavating the very land he has so often explored through books.
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Jake Hill
Khirbat al-Balu‘a, Jordan
Jake Hill recently graduated from Baylor University with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. In the fall, he will begin his graduate studies at UCLA in the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department. He is interested in Iron Age Transjordan, Northwest Semitic inscriptions, and the intersection of social identity and state formation in the Levant.
Brenna McLain
Iklaina, Greece
Brenna McLain is an undergraduate at the University of Evansville, studying archaeology and minoring in classical languages. She is particularly interested in Mycenaean ceramic typology and Greco-Roman mythology. Brenna will expand upon her interests by taking part in the Iklaina Archaeology Project where she will be researching Mycenaean coarse ware vessels.
Tony Pichler
Tell el-Badawiya, Israel
Tony Pichler is the Mission Outreach Director for Resurrection Parish in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tony holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from St. John’s University, and a master’s degree in theology from St. Norbert College. He is co-founder of St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter, the Micah Center, and Whatsoever You Do, Inc.
Carolyn Rock
El-Araj, Israel
Carolyn Rock earned her master’s degree in archaeology at the University of Georgia, and worked as an archaeologist throughout the southeastern United States for more than 30 years. She supervised at sites ranging from the Prehistoric Archaic to the historic Southern Plantation periods. But her great love is the Bible, and she is excited to contribute her expertise to biblical archaeology.
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Martin Schneider
Sanisera, Spain
Martin Schneider is an archaeologist with experience documenting and conserving historic structures, public monuments, and cultural landscapes. He has worked with the National Park Service, Central Park Conservancy, and EverGreene Architectural Arts. His fieldwork has taken him from archaeological surveys in Alaska to hands-on conservation across New York City.
Mera Skoblo
Ophel, Jerusalem
Mera Skoblo is a junior at New York University majoring in Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Her fascination with biblical archaeology has guided her studies and fueled her curiosity about biblical history. This summer, she is thrilled to join the Ophel excavations in Jerusalem, where she’ll have the incredible opportunity to dig at the southern gate of the Second Temple.
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