I am about to graduate from the Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) MS program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I have completed all courses for the program and have additionally fulfilled the requirement to work on GIS tasks outside the classroom – in my case, at an internship with the Massachusetts Geological Survey. I will remain on contract with that organization until August 30, 2025, and I will officially have my degree conferred at the conclusion of the summer term on September 1, 2025.

I intend to pursue full-time employment in the geospatial and/or environmental fields after the conclusion of my summer internship. In graduate courses and independent projects, I have become familiar with such topics as:

• executing spatial analysis with vector and raster data in ArcGIS Pro/QGIS
• applying Python scripting to ArcGIS projects
• configuring web mapping applications for public use
• employing the principles of cartography and design in all map products
• using satellite data to view the world through remote sensing indices
• constructing queries for spatial databases
• maintaining extensive documentation on project steps
• creating extract-transform-load workflows for data interoperability

I continue to build upon my studies at Middlebury College, from which I graduated in May 2024 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Biology. I was fortunate to be able to take many courses in the Geography department, including several which engaged me in GIS. I learned about the principles of open source GIS, remote sensing, and cartography, the value of a workflow-based approach for geospatial solutions, and the ways in which spatial analysis addresses important questions in the environmental sector.

I am eager to use what I have learned at both of these institutions at a full-time, entry-level environmental and/or geospatial position in Fall 2025.