I am a PhD student at Indiana University, Bloomington, specializing in Russian, Indigenous, Imperial, and Environmental History, with a particular focus on Siberia and the North Pacific.
I graduated in the spring of 2022. I was most interested in and dealt with historical geography, political geography, and environmental geography.
What prompted you to study geography?
Honestly and slightly humorously, part of the initial reason was that I wasn’t getting any internships during undergrad. I always liked researching things and learning more about them, especially related to different cultures and how they interacted with the place they lived, so the more I considered it, the more geography came to be a natural fit for me.
In what way does geography relate to your current work?
Although environmental geography was not my intended specialty, I ended up teaching sections in this course and helping with natural hazards at UWM. I have joked for a while that environmental studies won’t leave me alone and keep following me around, but it turned out that my current PhD advisor is a Soviet environmental historian, so my teaching and experience with environmental geography ended up paying off quite a bit when applying for PhD programs. Now, environmental history is one of my specialties, and I see that as strongly connected to my coincidental assignment to teach environmental geography courses during my Master’s at UWM. To be more straightforward, though, place and space animate my studies and interests significantly. As I study issues related to Indigenous history and environmental history, it’s difficult not to see how geography matters in these histories. For instance, local groups might have special relationships with the land, or perhaps aspects of their culture or worldview are derived from material interactions with their environment. In the context of my studies in Siberia, the Russian Empire and the later Soviet Union often had quite particular relationships with land and resources, and these relationships differed from local relationships. You can’t really escape geography, I guess.
What is your favorite memory of being a student in the Department of Geography?
You asked for one, but I will give you two. First is Ryan Holifield wearing a Gandalf wizard hat in our GEOG870 course. I think it was 870, anyway. Not sure how that came up or why, but I recall it being a fun and light-hearted thing that felt connective during the pandemic (as that was Fall 2020, and classes were still online). The second memory I have is hanging out with and falling in love with my partner Anna, who was in the History and Library Science programs at the same time. She would often come by and visit my office in the department in the Fall of 2021 and Spring of 2022. We would work on homework together and then do something fun in the area after we were done, like go bowling at the UWM bowling alley, swim at the Klotsche Center, or make elaborate foods using the appliances in the graduate lounge. We also drank a lot of the old soda in there, which I hope no one minds.
Do you have any interests or hobbies that you’ve found useful for keeping a good work-life balance?
Yes, I would say so. Something that keeps me grounded is hiking and walking my 14-year-old beagle, Daisy. It’s easy to get absorbed in your work and spend the whole day inside typing on your computer at your desk, but it’s really refreshing to take breaks and go outside, even for small intervals. Generally, I think using your body and being out in nature are two great ways to stay physically grounded after using your mind so much. When I was at UWM, I would often go to yoga club and then swim afterward, and this was such a nice grounding activity after spending a day doing homework.
For the geography students at UWM, any advice you would like to share with them?
Just a few. Plan and be organized, especially for big projects. If you can plan it out early and do a couple of pages every week, that goes a long way, and you will be so happy at the end of the semester. Request that Ryan Holifield wear the Gandalf wizard hat sometime. There are also a lot of events on campus that are enriching or helpful in many ways. If you want something to do, be a part of the community, or get free food by attending something, there are plenty of opportunities. There are ways to stay connected and make the most of your time. Don’t be afraid to try new things or try something you always wanted to. Take a leap and be willing to learn as you go.