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Alumni Adventures: Amber Todoroff

Amber Todoroff – Policy Associate at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

She/her

When did you attend UF? What degrees/certificates did you earn the the Department of Geography?

I attended UF from 2010-2015, earning a BAs in Geography and English, and a minor in Sustainability Studies.

After I graduated I attended the University of Oxford on a full scholarship to study for a Master’s degree in environmental policy, which wouldn’t have been possible without the opportunities UF Geography provided.

What is your greatest memory from your time as a GeoGator?

I can’t just pick one, so three things:

  1. I really enjoyed the camaraderie built with coursemates while pulling all-nighters in the geography lab.
  2. I also loved getting to experience different geography research internships at the University of Northern Iowa and Clark University through the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program.
  3. I loved writing my thesis and hugely appreciated the support provided to me during that process by Dr. Binford and Dr. Mossa. All of the professors I had in the department were so great and took a sincere interest in their students’ success.

How do you use what you learned in the Geography Department in your life?

I currently work in environmental policy n D.C., which involves a lot of research, writing, and coordinating. While I haven’t made a map in a few years, it’s very helpful to understand processes in scientific/geographic research while presenting policy recommendations. Plus I still keep in touch with a lot of former classmates and colleagues who are great resources! For example, we recently interviewed my former Geography classmate Kyle Gorman about his work in NYC for an EESI article.

Do you have a message to share with current/prospective students?

Check out NSF REU programs–they are wonderful opportunities to gain research experience.

I loved all of my Geography classes but there were other great classes relevant to the field that I took outside the department–one of my favorites was an atlas-making class held by the architecture department.

Also, go to your professors’ office hours, even just to introduce yourself. They’re great people to know!

Is there anything else you would like to share?

There are also so many opportunities at UF Geography and UF as a whole. Keep an open and curious mind and take advantage of all UF has to offer, there’s so much out there!

Also, if you’re interested in policy work, EESI has a great internship program every semester that geography students would be well suited for: https://www.eesi.org/about/internships

Find out more about Amber’s work at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and follow her on Twitter and Linkedin.

If you would like to tell the world about your GeoGator Alumni Adventure, please send an email to Mike Ryan Simonovich.