Throughout the year, the American Geographical Society maintains a staff of Scholar-Interns to keep things humming. Our interns help report on the news of the day for DailyGeo, produce new content for our regular Map of the Week and Company Spotlight features, constantly update our social media outlets, create new graphics for our events and initiatives, and help keep our internal contact lists and resources organized.
This fall, we’re happy to welcome three stellar scholar-interns who’ve already put in wonderful work.
Abby Vandenberg is entering her final year at the University of California Santa Barbara. She is studying Physical Geography and Ocean Science and pursuing a Technology Management Certificate in business. Growing up Abby loved maps, it was not until her first year at UCSB that she found the geography program and realized the countless applications and importance of geography for answering some of today’s biggest questions. Abby spent the summer creating maps in R and enjoying the process of creating spatial depictions from large datasets. Abby is specifically interested in GIS and sea floor mapping, one of the few areas on Earth left to be discovered and fully understood . Intrigued by all things involving the ocean, Abby spends her free time kiteboarding, boating and foiling around Santa Barbara, CA.
Jessie Woldstad is a fourth-year student at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she studies Geography Data Science with a minor in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management. Her research interests include geographic information systems, the use of geographical analysis in current technology, and geographical solutions to environmental issues. Aside from her schooling, Jessie has recently volunteered at a non-profit to help raise money for an organization called Washington Women in Need, where grants are given to single mothers to help them achieve a higher education. While not working or studying, she enjoys hiking and painting landscapes.
Ruqaiyah Zarook is currently a second-year MA student at New York University. Her research interests are broadly in critical carceral studies, with latent interests in carceral geography and issues of uneven development, among other topics. She is involved with the Prison Teaching Project (E.P.I.C.) and the Prison Education Program Research Collective (Debt and Incarceration Project) at NYU, and is a staff writer at the News Desk at Washington Square News. With this American Geographical Society internship, she hopes to learn more about geography as a discipline and contribute to AGS’ mission in advancing geographic
We’re also very happy to welcome back Samantha Hinton, who started working with AGS as an intern this past summer. Sam was born and raised in New York City where she graduated from The Spence School. She currently attends Trinity College Dublin, where her studies are focusing on both Human and Physical Geography. At Trinity, she is a Student 2 Student Mentor and a member of their Geographical Society. Next year, she will spend her second semester at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. Samantha chose to apply for geography because she is passionate about appreciating the outdoors. With geography, she strives to learn more about the intersection and impact between humans, space, and the environment. While not working, she enjoys traveling, making art, and playing sports.