I have always been passionate about Geography and UMW helped me become a Geographer. I was a non-traditional student with a job and a family. The Professors in the Department cared about my success in the program. I don’t think you could ask for more resources and support in an academic program than what you will find in this Department.
My education has taken me places I never imagined. During my second semester at UMW, I earned a highly competitive paid Pathways Internship at the Office of Management and Budget in the Natural Resources Division. I worked on issues in Indian Country, and prepared for meetings with the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the EPA. I spent a summer tracking Wildland Fire activity and spending, creating reports for leadership, and helped draft talking points for the President. My research abilities and quantitative skills were an asset at OMB, and I have UMW Geography to thank for those skills.
I recently accepted a position at the Rural Utilities Service Electric Program. My Geography education is well respected and I have been assigned to priority projects where I get to use my GIS skills to generate work products that make it possible for leadership to make data-driven decisions. My skills are highly praised and valued.
Since graduating from UMW, I earned an MA in Geography from Marshall University. I am now enrolled as a PhD student at George Mason University majoring in Earth Systems and Geoinformation Sciences. One day, I hope to teach Human Geography and GIS courses.