B.S. Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence

It is not often that you encounter an adolescent boy who would run to maps and geography books instead of the most recent edition of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Growing up, I would often find myself hyper-focused on maps, the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. I was habitually the kid who wanted to be spatially aware of my surroundings.

My interest in human security and geospatial intelligence (HSGI) intensified during three devastating events: the 2011 record-breaking tornado season, Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy (a surreal experience), and Moore, OK EF-5 tornado. By the summer of 2013, I began crafting my life mission in disaster awareness, preparation, management and mitigation.

When I joined the USC HSGI undergraduate program at its inception in January 2020, little did I know how much of an impact the program would make on me. The HSGI curriculum developed and enriched my capabilities within spatial sciences and public policy, while also sparking a passion for international relations.

In my junior year, I participated in the U.S. Department of State INR MapGive internship program under the Virtual Student Federal Services (VSFS) where I showcased all the SSI skills I had developed. We engaged on open-street map platforms to perform edits and additions to remote regions around the world.

In the B.S. HSGI program, my practicum partner, Steven Duncan, and I focused on using GEOINT to assess infrastructure insecurities in Elliott City, Maryland. We used this suburban town as a case study to comprehend why historic towns like this posed a substantial flash flood risk.

As a HSGI major, I was part of the USC Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence and was inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success.

The completion of my undergraduate HSGI degree marked the beginning of my life’s mission toward minimizing the overall impact of natural and manmade hazards when they strike.

After graduating from USC, I attended UCLA’s masters program in applied geospatial information systems and technologies. Along the way, I had a global operations internship with Pacific Disaster Center Global (PDC) in Maui, Hawaii, developing my skills in ArcGIS Pro, StoryMaps and dashboards. In addition, I honed my data processing abilities using FME (Feature Manipulation Engine) and reviewed over 90 PDC-issued products for relevancy, effectiveness, aesthetics, efficiency and branding.

I also have had an incredible opportunity a six-month internship with the Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team at United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

While at USC and UCLA, I have competed at the Division I level in track and field, achieving multiple All-American honors and conference championships. I served on the PAC-12 Student Athlete Leadership Team and was elected Co-President of the USC United Black Student Athlete Association.

I’m delighted to be returning to USC for an M.S. in Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence. I am passionate about GEOINT, national security, data science, disaster management and risk reduction.

Growing up in the Bronx, I always dreamt of becoming part of something bigger. In 2017, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became an Electronics Technician, maintaining Satellite Communications, Radar, and Weapons onboard Naval vessels. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, my ship was deployed in the 7th Fleet to locations in the South China Sea, and while we were unable to travel in those countries, I developed a desire and fascination for understanding more of the world and the role that the United States played in it.

While traversing the Panama Canal, I was selected for the highly competitive enlisted-to-officer accession program known as STA-21 (Seamen to Admiral). The program enabled me to stay as an active-duty sailor while completing my bachelor’s degree and subsequently commissioning as an officer.
At USC, I chose the Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence (HSGI) major as it uniquely applied to my current career as a future officer in the Navy, giving me a further foundation to understand the world from an academic perspective.

As a member of the U.S. Navy, I am part of a team that ensures peace and security for the United States while bringing our democratic principles and methodologies to the rest of the world. Understanding international border conflicts, past genocidal incidences, climate change and human rights is tantamount to executing our missions with intelligence and compassion for the world.

Following graduation, I will continue my career with the military and using what I have learned in the Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence major and likely a graduate degree, thereafter, proceed towards a future in global intelligence.

Born and raised in North Hollywood, California, I come from a long line of artists, performers, creators, and clowns (quite literally). This creative upbringing trained me to look at the world in unique ways– always questioning, being questioned and digging for deeper meaning.

Early in life I adopted a deep love of history, and found that looking to the past was one of the most meaningful ways of exploring the human condition. One aspect of humanity that fascinated, and eluded me the most was the consistent presence of conflict in human civilization. The more I studied conflicts of the past, the greater my desire became to work to prevent and mitigate conflicts of the future. Setting my sights on diplomacy– an enduring goal– I knew that I would not only need to pursue its academic study, but also its practical application.

I joined the United States Army in 2016 out of a drive not only to learn about the conflict I one day hoped to prevent, but also a desire to serve. My experiences as an enlisted soldier opened the door to a world far broader, and more complex, than I had yet encountered in any of my studies.

As a Civil Affairs soldier, I found myself traveling the world, working in small teams to build civil resilience and infrastructure while de-conflicting military operations with civilian wellbeing. This was a trial by fire in the comprehensive field I would later come to know as human security.

As I worked in a multitude of environments across Europe and East Asia, I also began to learn how interconnected the population was with the land. Geospatial products were essential to understanding and executing my missions, and were the greatest tools in my team’s arsenal of addressing civil problems over wide areas with myriad factors at play.

Returning home after my time overseas, I found a renewed vigor for continuing my education. Finding the HSGI program only propelled that further. Here was the perfect blend of subjects that would allow me to explore both the theory and practice of human security through investigations of international relations, public policy and intelligence, while also developing practical skills in GIS technology, data acquisition and analysis. With this goal, I transferred to USC.

While here at USC I have been able to work towards my professional goals, explore my academic interests, and continue my creative endeavors. Academically, I have invested myself in HSGI, and taken on a History minor which complements the modern analysis of HSGI with the context of the past.

Professionally, I have been able to pursue a commission as an officer in the US Army through the ROTC program, and gained invaluable leadership and management experience in positions like that of Cadet Battalion Commander. Creatively, I have been able to take my experience and develop my interest in screenwriting, producing my first feature film which will soon be available to audiences across the U.S.

I hope to take all I have learned, and continue to explore, using my degree in HSGI as a solid foundation for a life of service, and do my part in creating actionable solutions to the worlds ever changing problems.