Success stories excite those who chose geography degrees

The Department of Geography held a MU Geography Alumni Roundtable Friday, Oct. 8 from 3:30-4:30 pm in Stewart 216, featuring former alumni Madeline Bloss (BA ‘20), Wiley Howell (BA ‘13), Abby Hunt (BA ’21), and Colton Kimminau (BA ‘19).

All show success since their departure from the university. Bloss works with the Boone County History and Culture Center in Donor Relations; Howell serves on the Missouri GIS Advisory Council; Hunt is in law school at Washington University; and Kimminau is with Conexon as a GIS analyst.

“Each uses geography somehow, someway, but they are doing it in very different ways,” says Doug Hurt, director of undergraduate studies. “It’s important to know students aren’t locked into a narrow career path and that geographic skills can be applied to many different career goals.”

The reasoning behind the roundtable was two-fold: To share the experiences of recent grad students, and to give current students a behind-the-scenes look at how others made the transition to success after graduation, says Hurt.

“All of the alumni are very successful in whatever they are doing,” he adds. “They are all recent graduates, and very relatable to students today. A year ago, two years ago, or three years ago … — they were doing the undergrad life. Now they are success stories and we wanted them to tell their stories to our undergrads.”

More than a dozen individuals showed to the on-site presentation, and the program was also recorded for use in classes, on YouTube, and the like. “It was meant to be a small audience since we were recording,” Hurt explains.

He says students were interested in the panelists’ relationship-building activities that helped with resume-building – taking advantage of clubs and organizations; getting to know fellow students and professors; learning outside the classroom through internships and study abroad programs.

“All the panelists emphasized that students need to think ahead,” Hurt says. “They need to plan ahead what they want their life to look like in a year, five years. They need to be planning now on what they want to do in the future.”

Hurt says this program, one of many planned for the year, is one of the most impactful projects to students because it bridges the gap between campus and the real world. “Hopefully we’re getting students thinking ahead about the future and understanding how their experiences here can make transition to their work lives easier.”

Panelists took time to answer questions for the Geography Department, to glimpse further into their life as a student, and how they felt returning as alumni.

To read the Q&A click https://geography.missouri.edu/news/alumni-share-experiences-undergrads-homecoming-weekend