Student Ambassadors
Alyssa Huffman
University of Memphis
Alyssa is completing her masters in the Earth Science department with a focus on environmental science and GIS. Her research for her master's thesis deals with airport de-icing events and how they might be impacting water quality in surrounding streams and river systems. She has been working at the Memphis International Airport with the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority as their GIS intern since last October.
Andrew Humphreys
Delta State University
After 35 years of composing code symphonies, the pixels lost their luster. Craving a fresh canvas, I embarked on a midlife renaissance, trading my coding baton for a protractor and enrolling in Delta State's Geospatial program. Algorithms became data-crunching allies, logic waltzed with mapmaking artistry, and pixels morphed into stories etched on landscapes. Now, as a GIS intern at the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority, I stand at the crossroads of code and cartography, an alchemist blending pixels and projections. Age my compass, curiosity my fuel, I navigate the endless expanse of data, my promised land. This map, drawn with ambition and possibility, leads me not to a new career, but to a vibrant tapestry of discovery, where drones whisper secrets and satellites dance cosmic ballets. I am a storyteller, ready to paint the world anew, not with code, but with the vibrant hues of geospatial possibility.
It is our goal as geographic information and technology professionals in the Mid-South region to increase and improve student involvement within our community. Student ambassadors lead or assist the MAGIC Board of Directors in the following initiatives:
Advise the Board on how to better engage with and help foster GIS students.
Inform the Board of campus events and clubs where MAGIC could be involved.
Help curate a contact list of interested students on campus that can be added to our overall e-mail list. Our e-mails generally include announcements about GIS training, webinars, meetings, social events, job/intern postings, and news.
Distribute flyers and talk to their classes about MAGIC events and services.
Assist the Board in finding students willing to enter our Map Gallery and Scholarship contests during the Annual Conference in November.
MAGIC appoints up to two students per university each academic year to act in the ambassador role. The term of service runs to the end of the academic year, and each student ambassador's photo and short biography will appear on our website. Student ambassadors receive free admission to our annual conference and have the first option to present during MAGIC ‘Student Showcase’ presentations. This is an excellent opportunity to show what you are learning and to solicit advice from our members, whether it be about the profession or a specific geospatial problem. Student ambassadors get an enhanced opportunity to network with the great geospatial professionals we have in the area, as the MAGIC membership and Board consists of professionals within every aspect of the GIS workforce.
The GIS profession continues to evolve. We believe it is crucial that Geospatial students are given as many resources and opportunities to learn and network as possible before applying to the workforce. The MAGIC board hopes to help foster this growth of current and future students with your help and support.