Sean Keefe

I joined Syracuse Community Geography in the summer of 2012 as an intern working with Jonnell Robinson.  That summer the work took me out of the office and into the Syracuse community.  I traveled to neighborhoods to meet with community members, collected data, and applied my education to the world around me.  As an intern, I was afforded the opportunity to: work on an urban farm, photograph community gardens, helped organize a Harvest dinner from the network of connections through the Syracuse Community Geography network. In addition to getting my hands dirty outside, I honed my GIS skills by applying the skills I learned in class into creating maps that would be used throughout the community. Working at SCG afforded me the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles in the spring of senior year to present individually original research on the benefits of community gardening in specific communities at the American Association of Geographers convention. While I was at the AAG, I served as a panelist discussing the field of community geography. The skills I gained from my time working at SCG were invaluable towards my research, current position, and community development skills. Working with SCG took me across the country and let me explore the backyards of Syracuse University I otherwise would have missed.