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Biography:
I am Jason Ehlenberger, a graduate student at Appalachian State University pursuing a Master of Arts in Geography with a GIScience concentration and a Master’s Certificate in Climate Change. In May 2023, I graduated from AppState with two degrees – a Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning and a Bachelor of Science in Geography with a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) concentration. During my senior year, I was also part of the Accelerated Admissions Program (4+1).
My passion for geography and GIScience began in the US Navy, where I had a successful career for 21 years. I started as an enlisted Aerographer’s Mate (“weather guesser”) and rose through the ranks to Chief before commissioning, eventually retiring as a Lieutenant. I specialized in meteorology and oceanography, conducting hydrographic surveys in various parts of the world, including Honduras, the Philippines, and Romania. I also participated in humanitarian relief missions in Pakistan and East Timor.
My interest in geography was also fueled by my global travels and exposure to different cultures and environments. I have lived in ten states, visited all but Alaska, and set foot in all continents except Africa and Antarctica. I have sailed the seven seas and transited many straits that connect them, such as the Strait of Magellan, Hormuz, Gibraltar, and Turkey’s Dardanelles and Bosporus. I have witnessed the beauty and diversity of nature and culture firsthand.
As a result of these experiences, I was highly motivated to learn GIS while training as a hydrographic surveyor. I decided to pursue it as a follow-on career after I retired from the Navy in 2019. I have a strong background and interest in geography and GIScience, and I have applied GIS to various spatial problems and projects. I am determined to pursue a career in geospatial sciences and positively impact society.
Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (The Innocents Abroad, 1869)
My studies in Boone, learning from the faculty and fellow students at AppState, have further inspired my passion for geography and GIScience. I look forward to continuing this journey with the memories of my AppState years always fresh in my mind.
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