My path to UWM was non-traditional. Nearing the end of a long career as a physical scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I started thinking about what I would enjoy doing when retired. I combined my love for science and research with my lifelong interest in learning into a plan to set myself up for teaching, part-time, at the college level. So, in 2020, I decided to apply to PhD programs in geography and geology. After interviewing different schools and potential advisors, I decided to start the Geography PhD program at UWM, working with Dr. Woonsup Choi. From my first interaction with the UWM Geography department, I’ve had nothing but support and encouragement from every faculty member I had the fortune to work with and learn from.
I was fortunate in my career to work on some of the most significant environmental and natural disasters, contributing to both cleanup and enforcement programs. My work at the EPA consistently drew on physical and human geography, whether through GIS, spatial analysis, and remote sensing, or by understanding watershed dynamics, assessing risks and impacts on communities, and addressing environmental justice concerns.
Looking back, I especially enjoyed the graduate seminars. To me, they were the best part of graduate school. The small groups of students and the enthusiasm of the professors created an environment that pushed us to think critically and engage deeply with the material. My only regret is missing out on some of the particularly interesting human geography seminars.
Balancing school, work, and life was a big challenge. With the support of my family, I was able to complete the program while working full time. Most weekends and weekday evenings were devoted to graduate school, and my family understood this and gave me the space I needed to stay on track. I made it a point to carve out one night each week to spend with them, and I also set aside a few hours for exercise, which provided important physical and mental benefits.
I’m a big fan of both physical and human geography, and I always encourage students to explore classes in both areas. In my experience, the two go hand in hand. I also see geography as the best problem-solving science (and yes, I know not everyone calls it a science, but it feels right here). My advice to students is to learn about this: find an important geographic problem that speaks to you and work to improve our understanding of it or even help solve it.