Nearly 10 months ago, Alicia Gray completed a master's degree in geography at UNT. From the time she began her degree in 2012, it was clear … Alicia wanted to travel. She decided to do her master's research in the redwood forest of California on sudden oak death, an invasive forest pathogen that is contributing to the decline of millions of oaks in that state. After a summer of grueling fieldwork, Alicia returned to Denton and became a volunteer gardener with Johnson's backyard garden. I'm not sure if it was her fieldwork, pulling weeds, the Denton heat, or something deeper, but Texas and California were not exotic enough. Like many geographers, Alicia was ready to travel, explore, and discover.

And so, not long before she graduated, Alicia found out that she had been accepted to become a Peace Corps volunteer. She is now serving in that post as an agroforestry extension agent in Senegal. E-mail and Internet access are spotty, but last we heard, Alicia is thriving. She is learning Pulaar (a new language), eating maffe (a peanut based sauce and her favorite), and adapting to local culture and practice. We'll keep you updated on her whereabouts, but you can always find out more here, https://aliciagray1989.wordpress.com

Want to explore the world? We can take you there. UNT Geography.