My name is D.J. Helkowski, and I am a Geography major here at the University of Richmond. I’m also the punter on the football team. I am from Warrenton, Virginia, and Geography has been a favorite subject of mine since I can remember. I find maps to be a very good way of displaying information to an audience. Maps not only are intriguing, but they give the audience a fast and easy way of viewing data. If I had to chose between reading a dictionary or looking at an atlas, I chose the latter any day.
The reason I took this class is because I thoroughly enjoyed Intro to GIS, which I took last semester. Being able to create digital maps is something that I’ve never done before, and I could definitely see myself doing it in the workforce. When I found out this class was being offered, I immediately became intrigued. Professor Browne described this course to my Intro to GIS as an add on to what we were currently learning, but with an emphasis on making maps aesthetically pleasing. I also really liked Professor Browne, and when I found out that she would co-teach this course, I knew I had to take it. As a geography major, I’m hoping that gaining a better understanding of GIS software will allow me to take these skills to a job in the field.
What I expect to get out of this course is a better understanding of GIS software. Towards the end of the end of the GIS class I took last semester, I finally felt like I was getting the hang of it. I’m hoping that by the end of this semester I will have at least partially mastered ArcGIS. I’m also hoping to pick up tips on how to make maps look as good as possible. I believe that doing this will allow me to amplify my GIS skills as well as my interest in GIS. I’m hoping that this course will help bring out everything that I love about Geography.