Zenith 2024

7 The Interview Portal recently spotlighted Aswin Subanthore, who earned his MS and PhD in Geography from Oklahoma State University. Here is an excerpt of the interview. Aswin writes: . . . In my second Master’s degree, this time in Geography, I specialized in agricultural geography and my thesis focused on the effect of conservation programs to the attitudes of farmers in the Northwestern corner of Oklahoma. This place is literally called the “No man’s land” due to its sparse population. However, it is also the epicenter for the “Dust Bowl” disaster in the 1930s that wiped out the agricultural heartland of America and laid the foundation for protecting the country’s food security. I chose this topic to gain more insights into field research and explore an area of the world which was vastly unknown to many people. As I was finishing up my second Master’s degree, in Geography, I decided to pursue my deepest passion and interest, and that was teaching. I was always interested to share knowledge with others around me and I wanted to become an educator and a professor. For this reason, I started my PhD degree in Cultural Geography at Oklahoma State University. At first, I was not sure what I wanted to take up, but then I was fortunate to have a wonderful PhD advisor by the name of Dr. Rebecca Sheehan in the Geography Department at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Sheehan nurtured in me the art of research writing and more than a mentor, she became a friend and as important as a family member even to this day. Writing is a very important skill, and one cannot express great ideas, be it teaching or conducting research without knowing how to write. Alumni Spotlight Feature

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