I obtained a BS in Geology from the University of Georgia in 1999 (cum laude) and an MS in Geology from the University of Utah in 2002.  Originally, I entered UGA through a scholarship with the Terry College of Business and was a double major in International Business and French.  I signed up for my one lab science required for business majors, environmental geology, and was immediately hooked.  I changed my majors to French and Geology at the end of my freshman year.  I stuck with the French as long as I could, but it turned out the two small departments always held their upper level major classes at the same time. My love of the natural world and environmental science, along with encouragement from my stepfather who was also a scientist, eventually won out. 

It’s hard to count all the ways [Athens Academy prepared me for college and beyond], but between Mrs. Leary’s requirement to write a five-paragraph essay in thirty minutes, Coach Gunn’s life lessons of the importance of hard work, perseverance and mental toughness, Mr. Patterson’s belief in my leadership abilities, and Mrs. Iams and Mrs. Medkeff steadying my course along the way, I’d say it was nurturing the soft skills that really prepared me for college life and beyond.  The community at Athens Academy gave me the confidence and reassurance that I was capable of achieving whatever I set my mind to as long as put in the effort.  I could control my own destiny; not my parents, not my teachers, not my friends, not my finances.  Although I still use those fast writing skills today.  I think about sitting in Mrs. Leary’s classroom sweating bullets every time I crank out a response letter to a member of Congress or other high-level official.  

Follow your gut to find what you love, and don’t be afraid if the path shifts in front of you.  As long as you have one solid step in front of you, take it. Others will present themselves, but you have to initiate that first step off solid ground.  I pursued Geology because I thought it would allow me to make a difference by protecting the environment.  When I found that environmental consulting for a private engineering firm was anything but unbiased science, I looked to the public sector.  The Corps was not my idealistic choice of agency, but I took a paycut, came on as an intern, and was able to do some really interesting research for the first five years of my career.  Working in a large agency has since allowed me to find my own path.  I moved to the planning and project management side of the house in 2008.  I am not longer doing hard science, per se, but I have really enjoyed exploring the effects of environmental laws and policy on the nation’s infrastructure needs.  Finding the balance between the environment and economics is a tricky business, but I enjoy working with all levels of government, from tromping through the marsh with biologists, pushing the boundaries of computer mapping and survey analyses, to negotiating agreements between four cabinet-level officials and everywhere in between, to find common ground and solutions that meet all users needs.  I feel like I’m making a difference, but it’s definitely not in the way I envisioned it when I was 18 years old. 

I could go cliché here and say my family.  I have a wonderful husband, William, and one son, Liam.  William and I met as lab partners in college.  I was the only girl in the class, so the odds were in my favor!  We’ve had some awesome adventures traveling and backpacking all over the United States and a little bit in Europe.  We’ve lived in Savannah since 2002 and love all the outdoor opportunities the coast has to offer: beaches, boating, crabbing, exploring the marshes, you name it.  Liam is a second grader and his personality is scarily similar to mine.  Savannah is his home, but he loves going to Athens to visit all my family, especially his grandmother.  He still thinks UGA football games are too long and boring to sit through.  I am working on that. 

I could say that fact that I signed up for a half marathon on a whim after not having run since soccer practice in high school.  I trained for nine months, battled a serious injury, and I was pretty dang proud when I crossed the finish line.  And I lost 18 lbs. along the way.  Bonus.
 

I could also go more general and say I am proud of William and I and our ability to think up a plan, whether it be a vacation next month, a project around the house, or a long-range plan of travel and life goals, and make them happen.  It takes focus, discipline, and creativity, but we always find a way to make it happen.  We always ask ourselves, “what do we choose to afford?” Then we start making plans to make those things come to fruition. 

There, I think that covers it.