When I arrived at UMW, I walked onto the steps of Ball Circle self-conscious, afraid, and unsure of what to expect. I had received a scholarship within the Department of Music, and I had known that music was something I wanted to pursue, but I was not sure if that was entirely where my heart was set.
Before stepping foot onto campus, I signed up for classes haphazardly, not sure of the general education requirements and how I was going to fulfill them. I had signed up for a freshman seminar class entitled, “Race and Revolution” with Dr. Melina Patterson and was uncertain what it was about. Granted, I understood the overall gist of the class from its title but was unsure of how “race” and “revolution” interacted together. It did not take long before that class changed my entire career trajectory and made me realize that I was a geographer at heart.
After that class, I became a geography major. I was fascinated by the department’s GIS certification program and found an interest in using a mixed methodological approach in analyzing racial data through geospatial analysis. After graduation, I started the Master of Science in Geospatial Analysis (MSGA) program to deepen my studies in the discipline.
Midway through the MSGA program, I realized that I had a passion for research and wanted to become like my amazing mentors in the department. I began applying for PhD programs and I accepted an offer from the University at Buffalo’s Geography PhD program. Now, I am a first-year PhD student, and my program blends all my passions – urban cartography, music, and geospatial analysis – into my current research focus. I can confidently say that if I had never became a student in the geography department, I do not think I would have found my footing today. I owe my career development, my strengths as a researcher, and overall love for knowledge to the University of Mary Washington’s incredible faculty and classes in the Department of Geography.