Name: Akiko Elders

Year of graduation: M.A. in 2010

Major: Geography

Current employment status: Graduate Research Assistant at George Mason University

Graduate School: George Mason University

Graduate Program: PhD of Climate Dynamics

Current Research: Undecided

Why did you want to be a GEOG/GIS/ENSP major?

I have always been interested in climate change from the physical to the human dimensions. ENSP/GEOG was and still is the best way to combine those interests since it’s an interdisciplinary field.

What internships or independent research did you do as a GEOG/GIS/ENSP major?

I worked for a number of organizations while in the GEOG department. For example, while I was in graduate school I worked for NOAA where I used GIS to validate airport surveys.

What recommendations would you make to current GEOG/GIS/ENSP majors for career and academic success while they are still undergraduates?

Don’t be afraid to take the hard classes! Even if you don’t get an ‘A’ you will learn so much about the topic and about yourself in the process.

What recommendations would you make to current GEOG/GIS/ENSP majors for career and academic success after graduation?

Network! Some of the biggest and best job opportunities I have had came from networking. This applies to graduate school too. If you are interested in a program contact professors and talk to them, let them get to know you. When it’s time to make acceptance decisions, you’re not just a name on an application.