My final year at UW in many ways, was the most turbulent, and most action packed year yet. While this year didn't involve visiting one of the poles, or treacherous outdoor activities, it did involve the culmination of many of my seemingly unrelated academic endeavors. Finishing my capstone, engaging in independent research each quarter, and attempting to study two foreign languages simultaneously (emphasis on attempting), were just some of the highlights of my year.
Strangely, for many it may seem that by four years in college your life path beyond university would be well carved out, or at least the planner in me desired for that to be the case upon starting this year. However, if anything, the 2019-2020 academic year has taught me that despite the most detailed of planning and precautions, inevitably the paths most of us take seem to be full of twists and bends, and it is best to embrace these uncertainties than retreat from them. Throughout college, my own academic path was filled with seemingly unlikely turns, and many trials, in the end, I am satisfied with the end destination. And while daunting, I think this is a useful optimistic sentiment to take into the turbulent time we are all facing. Despite the uncertainty myself, and many of my peers seem to have for the future, I personally am extremely appreciative of the journey I had at UW, and feel that it has delivered on the central goal of academic and personal exploration I had set out for, several years ago when I first enrolled.
Strangely, for many it may seem that by four years in college your life path beyond university would be well carved out, or at least the planner in me desired for that to be the case upon starting this year. However, if anything, the 2019-2020 academic year has taught me that despite the most detailed of planning and precautions, inevitably the paths most of us take seem to be full of twists and bends, and it is best to embrace these uncertainties than retreat from them. Throughout college, my own academic path was filled with seemingly unlikely turns, and many trials, in the end, I am satisfied with the end destination. And while daunting, I think this is a useful optimistic sentiment to take into the turbulent time we are all facing. Despite the uncertainty myself, and many of my peers seem to have for the future, I personally am extremely appreciative of the journey I had at UW, and feel that it has delivered on the central goal of academic and personal exploration I had set out for, several years ago when I first enrolled.
Autumn 2019: Envir 492
Autumn 2019 was the quarter in which I got to wrap up many aspects of my college career, as I completed my Program on the Environment Capstone, and was able to share my research at the PoE Capstone symposium. While I got to finish this exciting phase of college, I also was pushing myself in what often felt like too many directions, by concurrently taking a graduate level site planning course, and pursing both Danish and Inuktitut classes (I do not strongly recommend taking two relatively difficult foreign languages at once). While this quarter was extremely rewarding, it was also probably my most stressful quarter to date, It taught me, that while although I may be used to college and managing work, school, and social priorities, even if on paper you are fulfilling your goals, it is important to step back sometimes and prioritize your own well being. Despite the seemingly endless stress, this quarter taught me more about the importance of not spreading yourself too thin, yet it remained fulfilling to push myself, and see the outcomes of the hard work I had put in.
The PoE Capstone is an often very daunting, yet extremely valuable process. Spanning three quarters, involving an internship, independent research, and a final symposium, culminating in seemingly endless hours of stress, but the creation of final tangible products that not only are a learning experience themselves, but also showcase the skills and knowledge students have gained over the past several years. My capstone centered around recreation/outdoor equity, where I focused on evaluating if racial minorities truly had equitable access to the outdoors. In Washington State, we are surrounded by gorgeous natural landscapes, yet these spaces are often exclusive and unwelcoming to certain groups, notably people of color, and immigrant and refugee populations. I conducted research during my internship with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in Olympia, where I also led the agency's first external diversity and equity centered project. The project allowed me to conduct a survey of over 700 public land users across the state, to determine how equitable state public lands truly were. Beyond this, I also conducted an outreach within Seattle's diverse communities, and created some of the agency's first foreign language print resources/brochures.
I have included my final research paper, and a few snapshots of my results/work from the course. While I am proud of the final outcomes, by no means was this experience straightforward, nor easy. Creating government issued print materials (with no formal graphic design experience) was extremely stressful, and balancing the needs of my independent research alongside a full-time internship was often very difficult at times. Additionally, while I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve my community, and address an issue of environmental justice I am passionate about, the pressure of conducting a government agency's first diversity project was often very challenging and nerve-wracking, especially as a temporary intern.
I have included my final research paper, and a few snapshots of my results/work from the course. While I am proud of the final outcomes, by no means was this experience straightforward, nor easy. Creating government issued print materials (with no formal graphic design experience) was extremely stressful, and balancing the needs of my independent research alongside a full-time internship was often very difficult at times. Additionally, while I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve my community, and address an issue of environmental justice I am passionate about, the pressure of conducting a government agency's first diversity project was often very challenging and nerve-wracking, especially as a temporary intern.
This quarter was one of the first in which I had more time to reflect on my entire college experience, as it become more of a realization that I had essentially wrapped up all of my necessary studies. Notably, as this quarter began I had a relatively high certainty in my path forward both through the rest of my time in college, but also my post college life. However, as the quarter ended under quarantine, online courses, and dismantled future plans, I was reminded in many ways how even the most extensive of planning does not ensure a certain outcome. This quarter, and its turbulent ending provided me with time to reflect on my time in college thus far, and personally as an avid planner, the importance of understanding that so much is uncertain. In times of hardship, it is crucial to appreciate the many positive things I have, both from my UW community, friends, and family.
As someone passionate about hazard planning, and risk mitigation, from the many challenges facing our society, the class I chose to highlight was URBDP 422, a graduate level, advanced Geospatial Information course. I focused my efforts analyzing the risks of lahar events in the case of a volcanic eruption at Mount Rainier, which in many cases, often felt like I was modeling a situation that it felt our community was massively underprepared for, just as the COVID-19 crisis was beginning to feel as I finished my research.
As someone passionate about hazard planning, and risk mitigation, from the many challenges facing our society, the class I chose to highlight was URBDP 422, a graduate level, advanced Geospatial Information course. I focused my efforts analyzing the risks of lahar events in the case of a volcanic eruption at Mount Rainier, which in many cases, often felt like I was modeling a situation that it felt our community was massively underprepared for, just as the COVID-19 crisis was beginning to feel as I finished my research.
Winter 2020: Urbdp 422
This course was one of the most challenging courses I had taken through college. Specifically, taking a graduate level course, and engaging in a relatively complex research project proved to be stressful at times. This stress was only exacerbated as our community came under increasing pressure. However, the final project I created I am quite proud of, as I had to put an immense amount of hours into, and I found a new interest in the field of volcanic hazards.
Some of my research is highlighted below, specifically around estimating the economic impacts of a lahar event. (For reference, a lahar is a volcanic mudflow, typically spurred from an eruption. These occurrences can be extremely destructive, due to the lahars' potentially rapid speeds, and large impact areas)
Some of my research is highlighted below, specifically around estimating the economic impacts of a lahar event. (For reference, a lahar is a volcanic mudflow, typically spurred from an eruption. These occurrences can be extremely destructive, due to the lahars' potentially rapid speeds, and large impact areas)