The Early GEOINTer

Elisa Luckabaugh first discovered a passion for geography and geospatial technology as a senior at Fairfax High School during a dual enrollment course offered through James Madison University. She then represented Fairfax High School at the Fairfax County Government GIS Day and the Esri Federal GIS User Conference in Washington, D.C. After her exposure to various GEOINT applications such as ArcGIS, Luckabaugh started contemplating a career in GEOINT.

Luckabaugh is now a freshman at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, majoring in Geography and working toward a certificate in Geographic Information Science. Luckabaugh is particularly interested in using geospatial sciences for disaster relief.

“The USGIF Scholarship opportunity means a lot to me—I aspire to use geospatial technology for disaster relief efforts after obtaining a degree in Geography and a certificate in Geographic Information Science,” said Luckabaugh. “The opportunities that this scholarship provides will be impactful to my experience in this field as it provides access to information that would otherwise be more limited. I am extremely grateful for the honor to be a part of the USGIF community. I am excited to expand my knowledge and skills with geospatial sciences as I move forward with my education.”

Featured Image: Monroe Hall at the University of Mary Washington

This year’s EdGEOcation Giving Fund at USGIF will directly support the 2021 USGIF Scholarship Program.

Your donation will contribute to:

• Ten (10) $1,000 scholarships to high school students for a total of $10,000;
• Twenty (20) $3,000 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate, and doctoral students for a total of $60,000.

To further the advancement of the geospatial tradecraft, USGIF is dedicated to assisting promising students studying GEOINT, geospatial sciences, and related fields. The annual USGIF Scholarship Program recognizes the achievements of graduating high school seniors, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. USGIF has awarded $1.4 million in scholarships since launching the program in 2004.

To learn more about the EdGEOcation Giving Fund and how to donate, visit usgif.org/donate.