FROM THE MITTEN TO THE OIL PATCH

My journey to become a geologist started in Chris Bolhuis’ freshman Earth Science class. His love of teaching and passion for his students and geology made a huge impact on my life. I wanted to know more so I took his senior level geology class and was selected for the famous Summer Science Trip. This kind of exposure to geology and especially field geology is unheard of at the high school level and unlocked a world of opportunities for me in the years that followed. I went on to pursue my bachelor’s degree in geology at GVSU, during which I was able to do a research project and attend and present at conferences, participate in a geoscience policy internship in Washington D.C., and attend field camp in South Africa. After leaving GVSU, I continued on to graduate school at the University of Kansas. I traveled to Colombia for my research on the Quaternary deformation of the Andes and participated in field trips to the Canadian Rockies and Iceland. Upon graduating, I began my career in the oil and gas industry and through the ups and downs of the industry have worked conventional and unconventional international exploration and U.S. unconventional development. I do not know where the rest of my career will take me, but I am forever grateful for the impact Chris Bolhuis has had on my life and for the impact he continues to have on students today, inspiring the next generation of geologists and earth scientists ready to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges.