I was conferred the degree Master of Arts in Geography from UNL in December, 1990. That degree, so valuable to me, led directly to an incredibly interesting and fulfilling career in Geography. In my current position, I have the title "Research Geographer" with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of Interior. I have worked at the same USGS facility since I started here as an intern while pursuing my degree in Lincoln.
"My geography professors at UNL provided me not only with a fantastic base of knowledge of the field (the theory and application of Geography) but also taught a way of looking at life through the geographic lens, where space and location are valuable information to expand understanding of how the world works. In my career, I have been a contributing member on diverse projects involved in mapping the world's land cover, monitoring the impacts of drought across the United States, characterizing spatial change and related water use in irrigated agriculture, and tracking seasonal dynamics in natural vegetation. I have collaborated with many esteemed colleagues from different disciplines and traveled across the world to share research results. I have no doubt that my degree from UNL in Geography was extremely instrumental in my career.
"I feel fortunate to have chosen Geography as my career path. A recent Editorial in The Guardian says that Geography is soaring in popularity in this era, that it is "a subject for our times" and is inherently multidisciplinary "in a world that increasingly values people who have the skills needed to work across the physical and social sciences." They also state that because of the broadness of geographic study, Geographers are "eminently employable". I have absolutely found this to be true myself.
