The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) has announced that it has selected USC Spatial Sciences Institute student Kevin Mercy to participate in its 2019 Young Professionals Golden Ticket program.
Mercy, a USC M.S. in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) student, is one of 30 individuals who will have the exclusive opportunities as a USGIF Golden Ticket Program winner. Golden Ticket participants are young professionals (35-years-old and under or with five or less years of experience in the GEOINT community) who will meet with and hear from senior leaders and innovators in the GEOINT world in small-group settings at the upcoming annual 2019 USGIF GEOINT Symposium taking place in San Antonio, Texas from June 2- 5, 2019.
Golden Ticket participants receive complimentary GEOINT Foreword and GEOINT 2019 Symposium registration. In addition to having the full GEOINT Symposium experience, Golden Ticket participants benefit from mentoring sessions with senior GEOINT leaders and the opportunity to attend the USGIF Chairman’s Reception.
COL [R] Steven D. Fleming, Ph.D., professor of the practice of spatial sciences with the USC Spatial Sciences Institute, said, "Kevin is to be congratulated on this terrific award. He is only one of two students who were selected among the other working professionals. He is in very elite company. This is awesome news for him and SSI!"
Mercy is excited to return to the USGIF GEOINT Symposium. He said, "I first attended the USGIF GEOINT symposium as a student assistant last year. As a student assistant, I was provided free conference registration, travel reimbursements and the opportunity to participate in the student poster symposium at GEOINT in exchange for a couple hours of work each day. I was amazed with the GEOINT Symposium as a student assistant and am ecstatic to return this year as a Golden Ticket winner!"
He added, "I have found USGIF to be an incredibly supportive organization through my collegiate career. Through USGIF I have been able to connect with GEOINT professionals and to translate my knowledge from the classroom into the real world.”
Mercy is the second USC Spatial Sciences Institute student to be selected for the USGIF Golden Ticket program. Richard Windisch participated in the 2018 Golden Ticket program.
"USC Spatial will have a very strong team participating in many aspects of the 2019 GEOINT Symposium," added Fleming. "Look for us in our booth in the Academic Pavilion and on various stages at the symposium."
