Place and Space: Studying the World

Quinn Graham Wallace '17, Research Assistant in the Geography Department, MHC

Major: Geography, Russian minor

Internship: Federal Transit Administration, Community Planning Intern

Study Abroad: Mongolia Nomadism, Geopolitics, and the Environment, SIT Study Abroad

Independent study project: "B-Boy and Buuz: A Study of Mongolian Hip-Hop Culture" (2015). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2202.

My geography major has proven instrumental to my work as an intern with the federal government, my pursuit of graduate studies, and my personal growth.

Studying the world with special attention to place and space has challenged my perspective and further developed my critical thinking and writing skills. Through geography, I studied geopolitics in Mongolia, worked as Research Assistant in the department, and found my professional interests in transportation and urban planning. Most of all, geography has inspired me to continue learning, asking questions, and experiencing the world we live in!

As a Research Assistant in the Geography Department, I worked closely with Professor Serin Houston for two years and facilitated her academic research. My first assignment was studying sustainability efforts in Seattle, and I met bi-weekly with Professor Houston to discuss my findings from the City of Seattle's website, scholarly articles, and popular press stories.

My other substantial assignment included collaborating with another Research Assistant to develop a map of sanctuary legislation in U.S. cities and counties. In this project, I honed my mapping skills and gained a deeper understanding of sanctuary, a highly relevant movement in the U.S. today.

My work as a Research Assistant prepared me for conducting my own academic research and fostered closeness with Professor Houston, a relationship I will forever cherish.