Like many people in the department, I didn’t start out as a Geography major. All it took was one or two classes that I loved and a couple conversations with professors to know this was the place for me. During my time at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville I did undergraduate research with Dr. Tran where I used GIS-based software to estimate flood damage. After graduation I worked as a SULI Intern at ORNL which was a wonderful experience that I highly recommend for everyone. During my time there, I signed up for a Post-Doctorate Presentation to discuss my SULI research. About halfway through the presentations I realized that 1) this was not for undergraduate students and 2) my undergraduate research was, in fact, not post-doctorate ready. Everyone was very encouraging and supportive of my presentation, but research wasn’t the path for me.

That led me to the King of Networking, Michael Camponovo, who set me up with a few folks who were consultants at an engineering firm who supported the Risk MAP Program. Since I had done research about flood damage, it seemed like a good fit and I applied.

After graduation I started out as a GIS Analyst at an engineering firm where I was doing the mapping of flood hazard areas for the National Flood Hazard Layer and making maps for the communities we were supporting. Over time I switched companies and grew a GIS team in our Nashville office where we continue to support the FEMA program and various clients in water resource and transportation. I have since transitioned to being a Project Manager and managing our engineering team.

Over the years, I have learned a lot that has helped me grow in my career. With that in mind, I offer the following advice to my fellow Geography students:

• Find yourself a mentor early in your career. At first it might be your manager or a technical lead but find someone who you aspire to be or just vibe with and ask them about their life. There is a lot you can learn from people who have been in the industry and it gives you insight into what your future could be like.
• Say yes to opportunities and go out of your way to do it. Don’t wait for someone to give you a task or job that you want or expect people to know your goals. It’s important to always advocate for yourself and when you’re early in your career, say yes to everything. Your goal is to learn as much as you can because you never know if it leads to a new project, job, or skill.
• My final words of advice – don’t forget to enjoy college. There will never be another time where your friends live down the street or across the dorm, where you can meet for lunch between classes, or join some intramural team. Obviously do well in your Geography classes (your GPA does matter!), but enjoy your time in your college.

As always, I am open to chat so feel free to reach out.