How did you decide to become a geographer?

Two early factors influenced my choice to become a geographer. First, I competed in extemporaneous speaking competitions during high school that required me  to stay abreast of world politics, where topics often had a geopolitical focus. After high school, I lived in the Netherlands for a year and a half and got to travel  throughout Europe and attend college for marketing and communications. When I decided to return to the United States and go back to school, my experience  abroad strongly influenced my decision to take up geography.

What is your favorite geographic topic or concept to teach?

I love teaching portfolio development. In today’s job market, it is essential for geography students to have strong portfolios. With increasing interest in visualization  and data science as transitional and remote careers, the competition is fiercer than ever. Through portfolio development, students can apply design skills they  learn from cartography to other forms of visual communication. The additional skills in web programming also give students more control over their professional  web presence. It gives me great pleasure to think they are gaining skills they can apply to other areas of their lives.