Earth and Space Sciences

WCU Degree: B.S. Geoscience, Earth Systems Concentration - 2023

Current Location: Phoenixville, PA

Occupation: Geoscience Trainee for the Department of Environmental Protection

Since January 2024, I have been working for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). I started in the Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program as a project officer, overseeing multiple sites throughout the Southeast region. The program is responsible for addressing sites where hazardous substances or contaminants pose a substantial threat to public health, safety, or the environment. In January 2025, I was promoted to a new position as a geoscience trainee in the Land Recycling Program. This program encourages private sector cleanup of contaminated, vacant, or underutilized properties with the goal of utilizing existing infrastructure and preserving natural areas.
My time at West Chester University sparked my interest in geosciences and helped shape my career path. As a student, I actively pursued internships related to my degree, ultimately securing a position with DEP in the Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program. This internship directly led to my current role, and I credit West Chester with guiding me toward this fulfilling career.

WCU Degree: B.S. Geoscience, Earth Systems Concentration, Sustainability Minor - 2024

Current Location: Upper Darby, PA

Occupation: Restoration Specialists for CRC Watersheds Association

The Earth and Space Science Department played an essential role in providing me with the tools I needed to reach my academic goals and succeed in my career path. In the spring of 2023, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to study abroad in New Zealand where I learned directly from nationally renowned geologists, partook in robust field studies across the south island, and had a chance to form an international network of other geology students. 

Once I was back at West Chester, I landed an internship with Brandywine Red Clay Alliance that solidified my passion for nonprofits, and community-focused watershed conservation. Through this experience, my academic drive, the help of my professors, and support of my classmates, I finally found my dream role at CRC as a Restoration Specialist. 

WCU Degree: Current M.S. Geoscience Student, WCU Teaching Certificate - 2012

Current Location: Norristown, PA

Occupation: Public School 8th Grade Science Teacher

After earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, I quickly realized that I had a passion for teaching. I applied to WCU to further that passion and I have never looked back! My coursework in both the education department and Earth and Space Science department here at West Chester helped me to be incredibly well prepared when I began teaching 13 years ago.

Currently, I am enrolled in the M.S. Geoscience program. It has been quite valuable to keep up to date on the newest geoscience research. I am able to take things that I learn while attending graduate classes and bring them to my 8th grade students’ level to start discussions and further cultivate their understanding and love of geosciences. Most recently, my middle schoolers have been particularly interested in looking at weather models throughout winter to see the likelihood of a snow day.

Reflecting on my time here in the Earth and Space Science Department, I credit the knowledgeable faculty, hands-on learning opportunities, and supportive community for helping me live my dream career, and I look forward to completing my M.S. in Geoscience!

WCU Degree: B.S. Geoscience - 2021

Current Location: Pasadena, CA

Occupation: PhD Candidate in Planetary Science at Caltech

I loved my time at West Chester University's Earth and Space Science program! My professors encouraged me to challenge myself with coursework and connected me with summer research opportunities for undergraduates at other institutions so I could gain a well-rounded background in geologic research methods. This included a National Science Foundation program to conduct geophysics field research in the rain forests of Costa Rica and a NASA internship researching tectonics on Mercury with the Smithsonian. With my ESS mentors' support, I applied for graduate programs and am now a Ph.D. candidate at Caltech. My research combines field, lab, and remote sensing observations to understand the mineralogy of mineral dust produced in deserts around the globe. West Chester University and the Earth and Space Science department fostered both academic excellence and personal growth, striking a balance that allowed me to challenge myself intellectually while building lasting friendships and exploring my interests beyond the classroom. I left WCU with both the scientific training and the broader skills needed to thrive in my next chapter. 

WCU Degree: B.S. Geoscience, Earth Systems Concentration - 2023

Current Location: West Chester, PA

Occupation: Geologist In Training (G.I.T.), Environmental Consultant/Environmental Scientist

Throughout my time at West Chester University's Earth and Space Science program, I cultivated vital skills and amassed invaluable knowledge essential for my professional development and success beyond graduation. Collaborating on multiple different research projects with faculty members empowered me to apply theoretical concepts from my undergraduate studies and refine my scientific problem-solving abilities, mirroring the demands of my current profession. My passions for geology and environmental science deepened, while a scientific outlook on the world around me developed. Meanwhile, I simultaneously gained precious and enduring friendships with classmates. The department's knowledgeable, friendly, and supportive faculty fostered my academic progress and equipped me with the skills needed for career success in the professional realm beyond graduation.

WCU Degree: M.S Geoscience, GIS Graduate Certification - 2017

Current Location: Exton, PA

Occupation: Wetland Specialist

West Chester University has been a part of the fabric of my life since childhood and holds a special place in my heart. When I was ready to launch a second career, I did not hesitate to return to WCU. I admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first about entering their Geoscience Master’s program as a non-traditional student, but those apprehensions dissolved. The entire faculty was welcoming and encouraging and the students were friendly and supportive.

The program, while providing a broad-based curriculum, also allowed for customization towards specific research interests. While at the university, I became deeply involved in research focused on environmental impacts on the coastal system of the Delaware Bay and spent a great deal of time in the field and in the lab. While researching different aspects of the resiliency of the carbon cycle of coastal salt marshes, and presenting results at various professional meetings, I had the opportunity to network with professionals, members of grass-root groups, environmental enthusiasts and concern citizens with whom I share the same interests and commitment to improving the current state of our coast, wetlands and estuaries. In addition to presenting at conferences, I gained experience writing reports, research papers, and grant proposals.

The skills, experiences, and opportunities gained through my time in WCU’s Earth and Space Sciences Geoscience Master’s Program, and the Geography Department’s GIS Graduate Certification Program, equipped me to land my dream job and to continue research, presentation and outreach on the Delaware Estuary’s Wetlands. I am forever grateful to their faculty, especially Dr. Daria Nikitina.

WCU Degree: M.S. Geoscience - 2017

Current Location: West Chester, PA

Occupation: Geoscientist-In-Training, Drone Pilot

The initiative to purchase drones allowed me to pursue a new skill that has advanced my career progress three-fold. Given the resources from West Chester University Earth and Space Sciences I was given the opportunity to learn the steps of acquiring new data collection tools, learn to apply them to my field of interest, and continue to capitalize on that value by starting my own business using the skills I had learned. If not for this experience at WCU I would not have learned a new skill set, started a successful business, and moved myself to a higher position within a new company that would have required three-times the amount of time spent in a traditional career track to reach my current level.