As they pursue excellence in their studies 鈥 and prepare for graduation 鈥 geography students often find these resources helpful.
Upper level students majoring in Geography who make themselves available to talk with other students who are considering the concentration and want to learn more about the student experience.
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Majors: Biology and Geography
Interests in Geography: GIS, Environmental science
What do you like about being a Geography/Environmental Geography major at Colgate?
鈥淭he thing I love about the Colgate Geography department is the lovely people and the good vibes. They don鈥檛 simply have good events, amazing courses, and research opportunities, but also actually constantly remind you about them.鈥
What are your future plans?
鈥淔ind myself a funded graduate program.鈥
Hometown: I live in Palo Alto, CA right now. My hometowns include San Francisco, Mexico City, Addis Ababa, and Arlington, VA.
Major: Geography, with minors in Educational Studies and History
Interests within Geography: Indigeneity and migration
What do you like about being a Geography/Environmental Geography major at Colgate?
鈥淢y three favorite things about being a Geography Major at Colgate are the faculty, the breadth of the discipline, and the community. The faculty are accessible, kind, and fascinating people. They each have specialties and interests that span the discipline and are excited and willing to share with students. The discipline of Geography can include literally anything and everything since everything happens somewhere. I've dipped into sociology, anthropology, African and Latin American studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, geology, oceanography, climatology, glaciology, International Relations, Political Science, and more by studying how things, people, and places are interconnected. Finally, those who are geography concentrators come together to discuss and share what we love and learn about, support each other, and make gatherings fun and informative. I love attending the Kevin Williams '10 Endowed Memorial Fellowship Award presentations to see how my classmates used grant money to explore and learn about the world while abroad, co-creating annual merch decorated with inside jokes, and bonding over surviving GIS. I'm not sure if our studies create an understanding and compassionate group of people or if those kinds of people are drawn to this type of study, but it makes for a great community to be a part of.鈥
What are your future plans?
鈥淚 intend to become a social studies teacher at the high school level and eventually a geography professor.鈥
Declan Huddleston 鈥26 (off-campus spring 25)
Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Major: Geography
Interests in Geography: urban geography, historical geography
What do you like about being a Geography/Environmental Geography major at Colgate?
鈥淚 like that geography encompasses such a wide variety of disciplines: natural sciences, social sciences, even humanities. I also think it鈥檚 important to be perceptive and to know a little bit about your surroundings, and a background in geography can really help with this.鈥
What are your future plans?
鈥淎fter Colgate, I plan to go to graduate school of some kind. Some careers I鈥檓 interested in are law, academia, secondary education, law enforcement, and urban planning.鈥
Emilia Spina '26 (off-campus spring 25)
Hometown: Wilmington, Massachusetts
Major: Geography Major with a Religion Minor.
Interests within Geography: urban geography, migration, public health, and environmental justice
What do you like about being a Geography/Environmental Geography major at Colgate?
鈥淚 love being a Geography major at Colgate because of how interdisciplinary the major is: I did not want to have to choose between a natural science and a social science, but Geography allows me to study both through a holistic lens. The department is also incredibly supportive and excited to see what their students are interested in. They go out of their way to allow each of us to accomplish our individual goals, regardless of their specific area of expertise.鈥
What are your future plans?
鈥淚'm personally hoping to pursue either environmental law or migration law, though I am also passionate about GIS and urban planning.鈥
Hometown: Beijing, China
Majors: Environmental Geography & International Relations.
Interests in Geography: Geopolitics, Transportation, GIS
What do you like about being a Geography/Environmental Geography major at Colgate?
鈥淭he geography department at Colgate is a very tight-knit and closely bonded community! The professors are always willing to help out students! Furthermore, there are a lot of classes that can be taken at the department that can enhance your skills from multiple perspectives: from aspects of the human world to technologies to fields in natural sciences.鈥
What are your future plans?
鈥淣ot sure yet, possibly continuing advanced studies in the field of Geography?鈥
The Office of the Registrar manages important academic records, information, and paperwork. See the registrar for the following needs:
Interested in improving your study habits? Want to talk through a paper or oral presentation with someone? Utilize these on-campus academic support options:
- Academic Support and Disability Services (covering everything from tutoring to classroom accessibility)
- Writing and Speaking Center
The Upstate Institute links Colgate with the surrounding region through scholarly collaboration. Geography students frequently conduct research to further their academic training while simultaneously benefiting the broader community beyond campus. Learn more about the Upstate Institute.
Whether you're planning to attend graduate school after commencement or launch your career, check in with Career Services for advice and insight.
Internships
- 鈥 job and internship postings
- Upstate Institute Summer Field School
Job Search Resources
- 鈥 job and internship postings
- (AAG)
- 鈥 Jobs in oil, mining, geoscience, environmental, agriculture, forestry, ecology, meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, soil, GIS, and more.