Samantha Penta – Class of 2011 – conducting research on disaster relief following 2013 Oklahoma tornadoes.
Tell us about a memory or reflection related to the concentration.
My first disasters course was Disasters and Society, which I took in the fall of my sophomore year. Looking back, this course was incredibly important in shaping the academic and career path that I am on now. In our weekly discussions and final papers, we took the material we learned in class and in readings and applied it to scenarios. This was both my first exposure to the disasters literature and the first time I began to critically examine disaster phenomena. I found this really exciting. Not only was I learning more about the field, but I was learning how to take that new knowledge and use it.
Where were you placed for your practicum?
I was placed at the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) for my practicum.
My time at DEMA was tremendously eye-opening as to what life in emergency management looks like in the everyday experience of those in the field. Not only did my time at DEMA help me to understand how the concepts, practices, and challenges discussed in classes manifest in an applied setting, but since my internship, time and again I have used the knowledge and experience I gained during my practicum in coursework and in the projects I work on as a part of my work at the Disaster Research Center.
What has been your academic, employment, or volunteer path since graduation?
Since graduation, I have continued my studies at the University of Delaware. I earned my M.A. in Sociology in 2013, and I am currently working towards my Ph.D. in Sociology, with the intent to pursue a career in disaster research. In addition, I am a Graduate Research Assistant at the Disaster Research Center, working on projects examining a range of issues from emergency preparedness challenges for long-term care facilities, to motivations for organization of and participation in donations efforts for disaster relief.
Why was the concentration valuable to you?
The Emergency and Environmental Management concentration was tremendously valuable by providing me with multiple avenues through which to learn about disasters and job opportunities in the field. I could concentrate on courses explicitly focused on disasters, but was also guided to other classes that more broadly enriched my understanding of emergency management, even if that was not course’s the area of focus. In addition to formal education in the classroom setting, being in the concentration guided me to a community of students, scholars, and practitioners with similar interests, helping me to build a professional network that has been immensely valuable. As an undergraduate and after graduation, this network exposed me to research and work experiences such as my internship, the Summer Scholars Program, and opportunities to present my research at national and international conferences that have been critical in furthering my academic and professional development.