MSGIC and TUgis, in collaboration with the Maryland Geographic Alliance, sponsored an Emerging Professionals Night on March 29, 2018 at the Towson University Center for GIS (CGIS). The event was aimed to connect new and emerging professionals with seasoned geospatial veterans. MSGIC was able to sit down with Ms. Rachel Grosso, a 2018 graduate of Goucher College, to recap her experience at the event.
Why did you go to the event?
My mentor, Dr. Justine Chasmar, once advised me that the largest reason that women stray away from STEM fields, even after graduating from a STEM program, is because they don’t identify with their subject, such as “I’m an engineer, I am a mathematician, I’m a scientist” etc. As an emerging geospatial professional, I thought it was of the utmost importance for me to attend this event co-hosted by MSGIC and Towson University’s CGIS, for I really do love working with geospatial data. Although I am a student of Environmental Studies at Goucher College, I don’t come across many other map geeks, and so I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet some like-minded people.
Did you think the event was valuable?/what did you take away?
In a word, yes! Through this event, I met a wonderful woman named Amy Murphy, who works as a GIS Analyst at the engineering firm Sabra, Wang, & Associates, Inc. She connected me with their internship program, where I’m to work this summer! I’m thrilled with this opportunity and have MSGIC to thank for it! Additionally, I learned a lot about how GIS and geospatial data are used in a variety of industries, besides that of my main interest, transportation. As an exchange student at Towson University, it was really cool to engage with their Center for GIS as well. Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting–so much so that I’m now a member of MSGIC!
Would you recommend these types of events to others?
Absolutely! Many of my friends at Goucher were impressed by the outcomes of this event, and frankly, jealous that I was able to meet rock stars in the field that I want to work in. I would definitely recommend this type of event.
