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After graduating in May 2020 (class of COVID-19, woohoo! Just kidding...) it took me a while to figure out work. But two years later, I’m now in the second job where I’ve used my Geography skills in some form. For almost a year I worked at a local news outlet, where I got to do environmentally oriented stories on hellish wildfires, terrifying drought, recycling, and more. Now I’m working at a state conservation program, using my cartography skills in ArcGIS Pro and then traveling around the state to monitor key species, especially plants, on properties with voluntary conservation agreements. When I have free time, I volunteer with my county as an interpretive naturalist, helping people understand and connect with the local environment. It took two years and lots of turmoil, but I finally feel like I’m using what I learned in the Geography program to its full extent! My job is a seasonal position, so I know things will change soon enough, but I guess this is to say that the right circumstances to make the most of a college degree (and overall experience — I frequently use skills I practiced in my minor, as well) may fall into place when you’re least expecting it.

My current job feels like a fantastic continuation of my Geography knowledge and skills, but even when I haven’t done as directly geographic work, I still have found it immensely useful in understanding the world. The multiplicity of crises we’ve been dealing with — a public health pandemic, climate change, urbanization/development vs. land conservation, environmental justice — all of these and more were topics I learned about at CU, and that background knowledge has served me well as I watch them play out in real time.

I miss y’all over there! Though I joined the Geography program a bit late, it felt very welcoming, like an intellectual home, and I hope that has been a silver lining for the students who have continued through the pandemic.