by Zona Hrnjak (BS ’24)
Illini 4000 (I4K) is a non-profit, student-run organization that fundraises for cancer research and support services and leads an annual cross-country cycling trip from New York City to San Francisco. I heard about the club in high school and jumped at the opportunity to join during my sophomore year, after a long period of COVID isolation. I...
Imelda K. Moise (MS, ’07; PhD, ’12; MPH, UIS, ’15) is associate professor and director of Global Health Studies at the University of Miami, where she also holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Public Health Sciences and International Studies and is affiliated with the Ecosystem Science and Policy Center.
Darla Munroe (PhD, 2000) is Professor and Chair of Geography at The Ohio State University. Her research covers economic, social, and land use geography with a focus on human-environment interactions at a landscape level. While at Illinois, she was a graduate research assistant with Prof. Geoff Hewings’ Regional Economics Analysis Lab (REAL...
When William Clark (PhD, '64, geography) arrived in Florida in 1961, en route to the University of Illinois, he struck up a conversation with an African American woman at the train station. Clark, a New Zealand native, asked the woman to join him in a restaurant, but she politely declined. She could not go into the restaurant because of her skin color. New Zealand never had...
Dr. Janey Messina (MS, 2008) is associate professor of social science research methods at the University of Oxford (UK) School of Global and Area Studies.
Robin reflects on her wide-ranging career in geography that began with an undergraduate internship. She worked at the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant for 32 years, where she designed a Lady Quagga costume and contributed to an invasive species exhibit at the Smithsonian's Museum of National History. Robin continues to serve the geographic community as a member of the Illinois Geographic Alliance (IGA).
Illinois native Ivan Gamboa (BA, 2002) has a passion for strengthening neighborhoods. He is Senior Vice President of Tri City National Bank in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where he focuses on business and community development. Ivan has taken on multiple roles over his 13 years with the bank and has always appreciated how his work and civic duty are intertwined. Ivan also serves as...