Archaeologist Becca Peixotto is part of a team of six women scientists who helped uncover an ancient human relative, Homo naledi, from deep underground in a cave in South Africa. She shares the journey through the complex and narrow passages of the cave and her own winding path to archaeology as well as the spirit of curiosity, exploration, and risk taking that lead to both ground-breaking discoveries and personal ones. Becca Peixotto, Ph.D., remembers as a child finding artifacts around her grandparents’ old farmhouse in Vermont and keeping them in a "museum" on shelves in the garage. However, it wasn’t until Peixotto went back to graduate school after a career as an outdoor educator that her passion for archaeology flourished. She earned her BA from the University of Alabama-Huntsville, an MA from the Universiteit van Amsterdam, and an MA in public anthropology and her Ph.D. at American University in Washington, DC, where she later served as Archaeologist in Residence. In between, she taught at outdoor science schools, managed high ropes courses, led wilderness expeditions in mountain and desert environments for youth and adults, and enjoyed many personal adventures in the United States and abroad. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx