In my undergraduate program, I jumped from major to major because I had many interests and was curious about many different things. As I started to develop an interest in the city, I stumbled over the geography department at Bowling Green State University. It was there that I found a department that was looking at all sorts of questions\u2014but through a geographic perspective. From there, I went on to be a practicing urban planner. I enrolled in a master’s program, expecting it to be my terminal degree. Then, I noticed 51ÁÔÆæ’s geography program, which was dedicated to urban environments. I enrolled to work with Dr. Judith Kenny to focus on the social and cultural aspects of the urban built environment by looking at LGBT\/queer community place-making. Since I also worked with Dr. Mansson McGinty, Dr. Sziarto, and Dr. Jordan (in Sociology), I had a very dynamic committee that pushed the theoretical orientations of my dissertation in multiple ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am currently Assistant Professor of Practice of Geography and the Environment in the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech University. As I teach multiple courses, advise in the undergraduate program, and coordinate the graduate program in Geography and the Environment, I use my geographic knowledge every day. I am in a program with a large GIS focus, but I am working to expand offerings in urban geography.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have many fond memories of my time at 51ÁÔÆæ. When I was in the Geography Program, we had a very close-knit group of graduate students. We encouraged each other. We challenged each other. We created reading groups and exchanged ideas. And, of course, we socialized! I keep in touch with many of my graduate colleagues to this day. What’s more, the geography department was in a state of growth as I was nearing the completion of my doctoral studies, and I was able to develop direct ties with many of these new faculty members. I am forever grateful for their inspiration, help, and dedication. I was directly involved in organizing some conferences within the department and on campus. To this day, I remember the robust colloquia the department hosted, the caliber of which has not been matched anywhere else I’ve been. …And I remember a few wasted hours with my fellow grad students in the Gasthaus (at the Student Union).\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is a good question! In my spare time, I like to garden and cook what I harvest. When time permits, I like to read outside of the discipline, namely classic fiction. I’d like to say I’ve traveled a lot, but I’ve made up for it by moving quite frequently. I rather enjoy the outdoors, and I’ve gone on memorable hikes in many of the states.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get to know each other. Hang out and talk with your peers. Have fun but also interact intellectually.\u202f <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In my undergraduate program, I jumped from major to major because I had many interests and was curious about many different things. As I started to develop an interest in the city, I stumbled over the geography department at Bowling …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19040,"featured_media":9423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[108],"tags":[116,117],"class_list":["post-9435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-highlights-newsletter","tag-116","tag-spring"],"yoast_head":"\n