Masters or PhD program: Masters
Academic Program: Geography
Degrees you currently have: Bachelor of Arts - Geography LA and Public History, from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Hometown: Sussex, WI (about 25-30 minutes west of Milwaukee)
Why did you select your program?
Many of my Geography professors from Eau Claire have personal connections to this program and heartily recommended it for further education in Geography. I visited here during my final semester, and fell in love with the program, the space, and the people. It also helps that I have plenty of support for my research interests!
What has been your best experience as a graduate student at Nebraska?
Having a super supportive advisor who sees me both as a graduate student and as a person. Too frequently in academia are students seen as academic points of either acceptability or failure, and I struggled with that frequently during my undergrad.
Who have been some of your strongest mentors or role models here?
Dr. Rebecca Buller, my advisor, who's a total rockstar and generally amazing individual.
Do you have research experience?
I have research experience in Wisconsin dairy history and geography, semiotic landscapes, and public music history in Western Wisconsin. For my history and geography theses respectively, I studied the history and reason behind making Eau Claire, WI the base point of the federal dairy industry during the 1960s, and the spatial decline of family farms linked to the growing presence of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the state. As a McNair Scholar, I studied the semiotic highway landscape of Western Wisconsin, documenting and analyzing each and every sign and billboard within a 50 mile radius of Eau Claire for welcoming or unwelcoming language. For my Public History capstone, I engaged in multiple "history harvests" where we invited the local community to share artifacts and stories about their experiences with local and regional music. My interview of Nate Sorenson, who ran a punk rock venue out of his mother's basement for over a decade, won the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association award for "Best News Series/Documentary!"
What are your plans once you have earned the degree?
I would like to go on for my phD in Geography, but I might also take a small break and work in the industry for a little bit. I'd like to end up in either academia or a museum, in some sort of education-based position, as I've found that I love teaching just as much as doing research.
