My Mission to Studying Earth from Space
GIS Baby Steps
I majored in geology because I yearned to understand the Earth beneath my feet—no matter where I explored. My GIS journey began with a light table in a geology undergraduate remote sensing course. I remember thinking how outdated we were studying imagery manually, but it was so fun. Under the light table, we overlaid trace paper, imagery printed on copy paper, aligned features by hand, and used color pencils to delineate “vectors” upon geologic faults, vegetation, water features, and more. We marveled at what we could learn from these aerial imagery maps at a broader scale than our traditional geologic fieldwork, where we hiked up mountains, staring at contour maps confused. In remote sensing, I learned that different bands of satellite imagery—each capturing a distinct part of the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible light to infrared—could reveal details that traditional fieldwork couldn’t, like vegetation health or water content. This class planted a seed for me, but at the time, I didn’t realize what rabbit hole remote sensing wonderland would take me.
Graduate school was tough, it may have made me cry, but I did get a job!
There was nothing else I wanted more in the world than to become a carbonate sedimentologist. Something about using tools ranging from microscopes to 3D seismic data to study mass graveyards of marine critter skeletons seemed pretty metal to me. At the University of Miami, I studied sink holes in the Nullarbor Plain of Australia using commercial high-resolution imagery and conducted spatial pattern analysis in ArcGIS Pro to understand where and why these cave entrances form and how we can predict them if we only know the location of a few. During the pandemic, it hit me hard that I had lost my internship in Norway. I was terrified of investing in school and not finding employment.
I refocused efforts, defended my thesis, and finally graduated but there I was at the finish line with no employment prospects and a lot of student debt. After sleeping for several days to recover from my defense, I had a 💡moment. The knowledge I left school with surpassed geologic knowledge. I had fallen in love with spending countless hours with GIS and imagery. I figured I could apply to opportunities that sought out GIS and remote sensing skills. After 80+ job applications, including an interview for a job located in Saudi Arabia, I got a job at NASA DEVELOP in NASA Earth Action’s Capacity Building Program. My mom didn’t even know what NASA was and my dad thought I was unemployed (Dad, I was just working remotely. Don’t embarrass me!)!
At NASA, I realized I could truly dedicate my scientific career to taking care of the Earth. Once you are practiced in remote sensing and GIS, you can use it to solve the world’s greatest environmental challenges ranging from wildfires, water resources, air pollution, conservation, and beyond. In addition to solving complex problems, it truly is an act of art to work with remote sensing data and it is a privilege to create such beautiful maps. Check out my StoryMap!
NASA DEVELOP: Spreading the Word and Building a Community
I was scared for my life when it came to coding, nothing gave me more anxiety than looking at all my errors. So, I decided to show no fear and begin teaching GIS lessons in Python and Google Earth Engine as a full time Fellow at NASA Ames. I taught hundreds of participants throughout the years. I mentored ~50 NASA DEVELOP participants, guiding them through 10-week projects where they applied remote sensing to real-world problems. We monitored sea level rise in the Maldives, assessed mine drainage leaks in Pennsylvania, studied urban heat in San Jose, analyzed wetland health in Colombia, and more. It didn’t matter what level they started at, everyone worked together to deliver meaningful scientific results to the decision makers they were partnered with. What a proud and rewarding experience.
Finding My Perfect Role: Solution Engineer at Esri
I realized my passion wasn’t just in conducting remote sensing analysis—it was in figuring out methods, making remote sensing more accessible, and teaching others. I found creativity in studying Earth’s past, imagining its future, and using GIS to make sense of it all. That passion led me to my current role as a Solution Engineer (SE) at Esri, where I get to create, teach, and innovate every day. As a National Government SE, I get to support federal science agencies such as NASA, NOAA and the EPA. Every day has been a fun journey where I get to grow, work with amazing people, and I never know what fun project I’ll get into next. My heart is so full, and I realized I had been building myself all throughout this10 year career journey to become so secure and confident with myself professionally.
Advice to Emerging GIS Professionals
Looking back, it was difficult starting from scratch—no connections, first generation college graduate, roadmap purely coming from my imagination and accumulated advice. But I was able to build everything in chasing my passions and I want others to know they can too. I may have undergone many critiques, roadblocks, rejections, and failures, but it only takes one opportunity to propel you forward. If you’re interested in GIS and remote sensing, start exploring these tools in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro and data from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. The tools today are more accessible than ever, and the field is full of opportunities. No matter your background, GIS can be a powerful tool to combine creativity with problem-solving. It’s for anyone curious about the world and eager to make a difference. And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll become a mentor too.
Acknowledgements (thanks for helping me make it to my dream job!)
I thank all the professors who encouraged me and my laboratory at the University of Miami. Thank you for believing in me when times were very tough.
I am so grateful to have learned at NASA DEVELOP that I could be myself while still being a professional scientist. And I truly have made lifelong connections and best friends.
I thank my family. To my dad who came to America on a boat, escaping war. To my mother who only finished third grade and truly knew poverty. Your intelligence and bravery are measured in the way you left your home countries in hardship and rebuilt your lives in a foreign place. These are two traits I have inherited from you. With the ∫(all our histories), life was unbearably difficult for so many of our ancestors. We pass on these emotions generationally through our DNA, leaving it up to the next inheritor to heal. I think love is about carrying each other’s burdens and I am so glad to carry on our legacy that we have.
Cảm ơn bố mẹ. Cảm ơn vì đã nói rằng bố mẹ tự hào về con, dù bố mẹ không hiểu những lựa chọn nghề nghiệp của con.
Learn more about our journey with this StoryMap.
