Meet the Prof

I left a Southern Baptist high school knowing a lot of facts, but knowing very little about life. I began college as a geography major because I wanted to be a broadcast meteorologist. I wanted to leave UMBC every chance I got for two years.



During my fall semester of my junior year, my father died. He was diagnosed with a fast-growing cancerous brain tumor and he died within ten weeks. All of the sudden, things I thought were important, weren't. My mom began working more hours, and I got a job at a plant nursery.



My focus in life began to change from myself to others and I began working hard in school with a goal of being a geography professor. I felt this was my calling because I could share my love of God's creation with students in a somewhat non-traditional way. I finished my last two years with a 4.0 GPA and earned a full scholarship to attend the University of Southern California as a masters student.



I spent two years in Los Angeles at Southern Cal, met a wonderful person who I later married, and then went onto pursue a doctoral degree at Arizona State University.



I am now married, have three wonderful pets, and have my job as a geography professor here at Texas State University. I spend some of my free time volunteering with Moses, my German Shorthaired Pointer, visiting people in nursing homes and working with children with slower development rates because he and I are certified pet partners.



While I cannot describe my Christian faith in detail in the classroom, I try to encourage students to think broadly, unselfishly, and live in a compassionate way. If I am successful in this venture, they end up being more Christ-like which is an important step in the faith journey.