This Earth Day, a Phoenix Rises

My life took a major detour more than four years ago when I was pulled off my data management role in environmental health to build Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.

It’s past time for a course correction.

I dedicated my academics to studying two main topics: Geography and Journalism. 

When I was 18 years old and stepped onto Syracuse University’s campus for the first time, I knew exactly what I wanted to be: a reporter who covered disasters, disease and war. 

Having my son midway through my junior year, I finished my journalism degree but leaned more heavily into my earth science studies, seeing how impractical my intended path in life would be with a small child.

Within geography, my focus was climate change, storms and natural disasters. Having lived through Hurricane Katrina at 16 (I lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast), the intersection of weather, climate and human systems fascinated me. 

I carried my passion for both fields with me into my Master of Science studies …