An Interview with Rohan Watt, BA, Geography, 2023

 

Rohan Watt graduated with a B.A. in Geography in 2023 and currently works for NYCH20.

What is your current research?
Both the work and research I am doing right now are thanks to opportunities I was able to find out about through the Geography Department. I am working with Prof. Andrew Reinmann, a brilliant forest ecologist, in the CUNY ASRC studying forest dynamic response to climate stressors which was what I worked on for my capstone project. It has been brilliant to be able to get to do actual field work (something I didn’t think I would be able to do in the city) and also to get the whole breadth of a research project during my undergraduate experience from finding a question, collecting and analyzing data and taking my first shot at writing a real research paper. I am also continuing to work with an organization called NYCH2O where I get to go all around the city leading tours for all ages about different water bodies and natural areas we find within NYC.

Why did you study Geography and/or Environmental Science? / What was your focus at Hunter?
I came into Hunter as an Undeclared major as many do and had really no clue what I wanted to do. I took a class from the Geography department called People and Their Environment which was my introduction to the department and from there I just found myself taking more and more of the classes offered and really enjoying with them until eventually I declared my major as Physical Geography.

How has Hunter Geography/Environmental Science helped shape who you are today/your future?
Like I said before I came into my undergrad experience having zero clue what I wanted to do. One of the things I loved about Hunter in general was how I could explore academics “guilt free” because of much lower tuition prices than some other schools. I have always really enjoyed being outdoors and I’ve always really enjoyed learning about the physical parts of the world and the Hunter Geog department helped me to find a way to be able to do that for credits! I think that one of the more unique things about Hunter is that it is a school where someone isn’t holding your hand the entire time. If you want an internship or some opportunity outside of class, you have to be the one to initiate a lot of the conversations and make the effort to sort of pave these ways for yourself. I think that has helped me a lot in terms of learning how to navigate the way things are outside of school. Whenever I wanted to learn more about a topic, find a way to be a part of something I learned about in class, or found a job/internship I wanted to be a part of, the professors and department were nothing but helpful and supportive.

Published: February 2, 2023