Name: Paul Lai
Year of graduation: 2016
Major: Geographic Information System
Current employment status:
·
Employer: IBM (International Business Machine)
·
Position: Technical Consultant
What drew you GEOG/GIS/ENSP?
What internships or
independent research did you do as a GEOG/GIS/ENSP major?
Internships:
Facilities Management (with the University of Maryland)
-
Working with GIs tools and applications along
with working with front end development
FedCentric
-
Learned about cyber security working on spark
and insider threat protection
CattLab (Center for Transportation Technology)
-
doing Gis development
What do you do at your current job?
I am currently doing procurement of goods with clients from
all over the world. I work with the software to be able to do supply chain
along with teaching other venders how to use the software.
Source orders of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics tests,
and medical equipment to be sent to 39 countries – predominately in sub-Saharan
Africa and Southeast Asia’s Mekong Region in support of the President’s Malaria
Initiative (PMI).
What recommendations would you make to current GEOG/GIS/ENSP
majors for career and academic success while they are still undergraduates?
I would recommend that they do as many internships in many
different fields and gain a lot of experience as possible. Network with a lot
of people and make connections to gain more exposure to what you are interested
in and push and get out there and try to do as much as possible. Also, do not
let your degree be the only thing that is giving you leverage because the more
skills you have the more marketable you become. Look for what you are
passionate about and try to gain exposure in those fields and set goals for you
to get closer to what you are passionate about.
What recommendations would you make to current GEOG/GIS/ENSP
majors for career and academic success after
graduation?
Do not think that your first job will be your dream job. Also,
do not be afraid to do something because you are not good at it, I would say
give everything a chance and try to go above and beyond and get good at it.
Once you get good at something then make the decision to whether is it right
for you. I would say get comfortable being uncomfortable because that will lead
to growth. Allow yourself to take in as much as possible and to never stop
learning.
What do you miss the most about UMD?
The thing that I miss most about UMD is the people and the
memories that I made with others at the university. I miss the support system
that the university provides to help students succeed, thank you to Keith Yearwood
for always having your door open to talk and give me career advice and life
advice.
What are some of your hobbies/interests?
Rock climbing, watching movies, hanging out with friends,
traveling, trying new foods
Anything else you’d like to add?
I would like to give thanks to Keith Yearwood, Naijun Zhou,
and Allen Eney for the advice in life and the lessons in the classroom and for
always going above and beyond to help students to succeed in their goals and
passions. Thank you as well for Amanda Hoffman Hall for allowing me to come
speak to her GEOG212 class about my experience and a chance to give back.
