Tell us about a memory or reflection related to the concentration.
The DRC is my most powerful memory of the concentration because I spent a lot of my time in the DRC. I was lucky enough to work on three research projects there with professors and graduate students in the field. I learned a lot about emergency management as a field in my time at DRC. My most memorable moment there was the Boston Marathon bombing: I was working on a project for a grad student, the T.V. came on, and everyone sat around and watched, then immediately started collecting media reports for our library. It was my last semester at UD and it was an experience that grounded my decision to choose emergency management as my career path because it made me truly excited to be in the field.
Where were you placed for your practicum?
I was placed in the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center of Delaware. It is my home county and it was interesting to go behind the scenes of emergency management where I grew up. A positive outcome of the practicum was networking. I was able to meet people who worked at the Delaware Emergency Management Agency at meetings during my practicum, which resulted in me taking an internship at DEMA, where I met more people who were genuinely interested in my growing as an emergencymanager.
What has been your academic, employment, or volunteer path since graduation?
I am currently working as a Junior Planner at Innovative Emergency Management in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I took an internship with IEM that led to a full time position with them. I am working on EOP updates right now, and will be trained in COOP planning.
Why was the concentration valuable to you?
I went into UD as a different major, one that felt boring and monotonous. Once I changed my major and joined the Emergency Management Concentration, I finally felt like I was where I was supposed to be. It was exciting and different and ever-evolving, which was valuable to me, because those were the traits I wanted my career to hold for me, too.