'One-in-a-billion chance'

By Steven Scarpa, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications

Christian Nunez-Rosa had been digging for three hours in the dry desert heat when he struck something he didn’t recognize.

It took a moment to realize what he’d found – the striations on the object were headed in the same direction. He surmised it was bone, but since it was his first fossil dig, he wasn’t sure.

He called over the paleontologist with whom he was working to look. A casual glance affirmed Nunez-Rosa’s suspicion – he had found a vertebra the size of a dinner plate. Nunez-Rosa struck a sauropod, perhaps a Camarasaurus.

The dinosaur-obsessed kid from New Britain never thought he’d find a fossil, let alone bag one on his first expedition. He took a moment to be with the animal and reflect on what happened.

“I was the one who introduced it to present-day sunlight. It was a one-in-a-billion chance that that animal died in that spot, and I was the one to uncover it,” he said. “I felt connected to the animal … It was something I cannot describe. It was amazing,” he said, reflecting weeks after his trip to the Morrison Formation dig site in Hanksville, Utah.

Nunez-Rosa is not a Yale paleontologist or a graduate student. He is a Peabody gallery attendant known for his friendly smile, welcoming demeanor, and ability to engage with young visitors. Part of Nunez-Rosa’s job is to be helpful at the front desk, answer questions, and coordinate with tour groups.

"Christian cares deeply about our guests. He goes above and beyond to make sure their Peabody experience is a great one,” said Aqua Drakes, assistant director, visitor experience/special events.

Nunez-Rosa is also an aspiring paleontologist. He will soon complete his associate degree at Connecticut State Community College and plans to attend the University of Connecticut to study ecology or evolutionary biology.

For Nunez-Rosa, being at the Peabody is a dream job. He was one of the first in line to visit the museum after its renovation. “I came here before the third floor was even open yet,” he said. “I jokingly asked, ‘You guys hiring?’”

As it turned out, they were. Nunez-Rosa sat on the opportunity for a week, deciding what to do. “I couldn’t sleep. I thought I just had to apply. I took a shot and ended up landing a job here,” he said.

It has been a great fit. "Christian has distinguished himself as a leader on our team. He is a pleasure to work with,” Drakes said.

Being immersed in the Peabody’s culture, where being a paleontologist is not a fantasy but a fact of life, encouraged Nunez-Rosa to seek out further opportunities. With the support of the Peabody team, he found a place with the Burpee Museum of Natural History’s expedition.

“It felt like we were just a bunch of nerdy guys going out into the middle of nowhere to go dig for bones. They were very welcoming … I felt like I was in a place with my people,” Nunez-Rosa said.

Now, as Nunez-Rosa greets kids in the museum, he brings a different flavor to those interactions. He knows how a dig happens and how a bone is preserved when it is lifted from the ground. He’s experienced something special, something hard to put into words – a moment of facing a long-lost past.

“When kids see that they are talking to someone who actually went digging, their little eyes just light up, their smiles light up, their entire demeanor changes. One minute, they are a shy kid attached to their mother. Then they start following me around asking questions,” he said.

He remembers that as a little boy, a paleontologist at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill encouraged his dreams. He believes he can offer that kind of encouragement to the kids who visit the Peabody.

“I want kids to feel like their dreams are not impossible … to hear someone they look up to say you can do it too is something that you can’t put a price on,” he said.