Earth and Space Sciences

WCU Degree: B.S. Geoscience, Earth Systems Concentration - 2023

Current Location: West Chester, PA

Occupation: Geologist In Training (G.I.T.), Environmental Consultant/Environmental Scientist

Throughout my time at West Chester University's Earth and Space Science program, I cultivated vital skills and amassed invaluable knowledge essential for my professional development and success beyond graduation. Collaborating on multiple different research projects with faculty members empowered me to apply theoretical concepts from my undergraduate studies and refine my scientific problem-solving abilities, mirroring the demands of my current profession. My passions for geology and environmental science deepened, while a scientific outlook on the world around me developed. Meanwhile, I simultaneously gained precious and enduring friendships with classmates. The department's knowledgeable, friendly, and supportive faculty fostered my academic progress and equipped me with the skills needed for career success in the professional realm beyond graduation.

WCU Degree: M.S Geoscience, GIS Graduate Certification, 2017

Current Location: Exton, PA

Occupation: Wetland Specialist

West Chester University has been a part of the fabric of my life since childhood and holds a special place in my heart. When I was ready to launch a second career, I did not hesitate to return to WCU. I admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first about entering their Geoscience Master’s program as a non-traditional student, but those apprehensions dissolved. The entire faculty was welcoming and encouraging and the students were friendly and supportive.

The program, while providing a broad-based curriculum, also allowed for customization towards specific research interests. While at the university, I became deeply involved in research focused on environmental impacts on the coastal system of the Delaware Bay and spent a great deal of time in the field and in the lab. While researching different aspects of the resiliency of the carbon cycle of coastal salt marshes, and presenting results at various professional meetings, I had the opportunity to network with professionals, members of grass-root groups, environmental enthusiasts and concern citizens with whom I share the same interests and commitment to improving the current state of our coast, wetlands and estuaries. In addition to presenting at conferences, I gained experience writing reports, research papers, and grant proposals.

The skills, experiences, and opportunities gained through my time in WCU’s Earth and Space Sciences Geoscience Master’s Program, and the Geography Department’s GIS Graduate Certification Program, equipped me to land my dream job and to continue research, presentation and outreach on the Delaware Estuary’s Wetlands. I am forever grateful to their faculty, especially Dr. Daria Nikitina.

Class of 2017

WCU Degree: M.S. Geoscience

Current Location: West Chester, PA

Occupation: Geoscientist-In-Training, Drone Pilot

The initiative to purchase drones allowed me to pursue a new skill that has advanced my career progress three-fold. Given the resources from West Chester University Earth and Space Sciences I was given the opportunity to learn the steps of acquiring new data collection tools, learn to apply them to my field of interest, and continue to capitalize on that value by starting my own business using the skills I had learned. If not for this experience at WCU I would not have learned a new skill set, started a successful business, and moved myself to a higher position within a new company that would have required three-times the amount of time spent in a traditional career track to reach my current level.