Welcome to Brazen Careerist!

About Me

I am a Ph.D student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of History of Science. My major professional goal is to teach environmental issues-based courses at the university level, using the surrounding local environment as a classroom, case study, and opportunity for community engagement.

My interest in blogging is part of a much broader passion for connecting with people--and hearing their unique and inspirational stories. On my blog, I offer advice on translating the skills and knowledge we gain in "the student life" into the real world and relationships outside of academia--both personal and professional. My blog is called sum.ology--which means the study of how to be--because we rarely get a degree in how to work, play, live, or give.

The trajectory of my life has been guided by three commitments: service, stewardship, and living deeply. After graduating college in 2003, I spent two years working for an environmental NGO on an island in the Chesapeake Bay. In the process, I learned as much about myself as I did about the particulars of outdoor and environmental education.

In 2005, I moved to Madison, WI to enroll in a Master's program in Environmental Studies. I completed my thesis in 2007, but not without spending a year and a half working directly with the Director of the institute on international capacity building projects in Norway and Sweden, as well as redesigning the institute's core curriculum. I gained valuable experience with facilitation, conflict resolution, team-building, and project management.

In 2007, I took perhaps the biggest risk in my life: I moved to the Canadian Arctic to volunteer for a year. I had just completed a professional degree and I decided to forsake a job abroad to give my time to a small community--with no compensation. It was the best decision I've ever made and has opened more doors for me than I could have ever imagined. I moved back in 2008 to begin my Ph.D on the environmental history of the Arctic, with plans to return to the Northwest Territories of Canada in 2010.

I'm interested in joining and participating in this community--please drop me a line and get in touch!