As a child, living in Japan, separated from my extended family in Eastern North Carolina by half of the planet, I spent countless hours looking at the globe I was gifted in 4th grade and the world atlas that I received in 5th.  I first became aware of GIS capabilities as an undergraduate in archaeology.  While working on my masters in STEM Education at North Carolina State I decided to pursue a graduate certificate in climate change adaptation as I have always prioritized climate education in my science classroom.   Part of that program included learning basic GIS capabilities.   I decided to further my education in GIS because I was completely enamored and impressed by how powerful this software is.  I am interested in continuing to learn more and potentially even transitioning into a roll where I can put that knowledge to use for a local government, business or NGO.