The Future Is Here: Sophia Garcia and the Intersections of GIS, Redistricting, and Social Justice

Photo of Sophia Garcia padding a raft in river rapids

We’re celebrating the accomplishments of geographers during Geography Awareness Week (November 14-20) and beyond. Find out more about this year’s theme, “The Future Is Here: Geographers Pursue the Path Forward” at our GeoWeek StoryMap, and follow the celebration at #GeoWeek or #GeoWeek2021.

Photo of Sophia GarciaSophia Garcia, the GIS and Outreach Director for Redistricting Partners in Sacramento, CA, understands how maps can start necessary conversations. In her current role, she sees redistricting efforts and community involvement as the “perfect intersection of talking about community, uplifting the community and letting them know what’s happening.” In her work she focuses on the imperative that we bring light to the redistricting process, engage communities, and empower them to get involved.

Garcia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Wellesley College in 2015, and now works for Redistricting Partners from her base in Bakersfield, California. Garcia came to her current role from her previous work as a GIS Analyst for the Dolores Huerta Foundation, where she saw firsthand how she could uplift the work of her colleagues and community organizers through mapping. GIS software has great potential to start a dialogue and Garcia knows this:

Data is more than just numbers; there’s a story behind what’s happening.

Although she grew up with a father who worked in the GIS field (she attended her first ESRI User Conference when she was 10 years old, and mainly remembers the refreshments), Garcia did not see the full potential of GIS until college. Along with her classmates, she was tasked with figuring out how people living in a certain census block could do something sustainable surrounding food and grocery shopping. After knocking on doors and having conversations with people in the neighborhood, she found that not everyone had access to the nearest grocery store because of factors such as affordability, distance, and access to transportation.

Photo of Sophia Garcia padding a raft in river rapids
In addition to her work with GIS and redistricting, Sophia is a skilled rafter and rafting guide.

 

Because of the geographic nature surrounding the factors of access to food and sustainability, Garcia had an “aha moment” and realized the stories of everyone she had talked to could be conveyed using a map. She started to work with GIS on the project, and eventually went on to intern with the GIS departments in Kern County to learn more about the different ways that the departments utilized GIS.

At Redistricting Partners, Garcia has been very successful in using mapping technologies and outreach to emphasize the real-world implications of redistricting, and advocate for a more fair process. She was part of the group that sparked the passage of the California Assembly Bill No. 849, which mandates rules to increase transparency in the redistricting process in cities and counties across California. This bill, which Garcia hopes to see similarly implemented in other parts of the country, requires localities to have specific redistricting websites and mandates redistricting to be talked about during long public meetings, among other components.

When asked how younger geographers can explore new, interdisciplinary possibilities in geography, Garcia urges them to find a project they are passionate about and make use of mapping technology which is often available from ESRI to college and K-12 students. She recognizes that you can categorize pretty much any data geographically, and urges young geographers to “find whatever you’re passionate about, or mad about, or excited about, and learn to map it, make it as a poster, share it with someone, and you can have a discussion about it.”

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Lauren Sinclair – Middle School Teacher, Oregon

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

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Jessica Perkins – GIS and Technical Support Program Manager, West Virginia

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share

Michael Camponovo – GIS Outreach Coordinator, Tennessee

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share

Madhuri Adapala – GIS Analyst, Louisiana

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share

Rob Kraft – Program Manager, California

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share

Frank Romo – Public Safety Data Manager & Geospatial Consultant, Michigan

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share

Parveen Chhetri – Assistant Professor, California

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share

Erin Silva – Project Manager, Maryland

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share

Tanya Bigos – Health & Human Services, Massachusetts

Photo of Lauren SinclairPosition: Middle School GIS Teacher! It’s my dream job!

What was your favorite class in K-12? I loved it all. I think that’s why I’m a teacher. But in undergrad my favorite classes were all geography… so I asked my favorite geography professor for advice on learning more. Because of his awesome advice I tried my first GIS and ended up at PSU studying geomorphology and GIS for my master’s.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? My first GIS experience is freeze-framed in my memory, which is exactly why I love recreating that magical experience for my students every semester. It was an exploration of the Ring of Fire on an early version of ArcMap in 2005 or so… what I remember most was following the directions and turning on the volcanoes layer, the earthquakes layer, and then the plate boundaries layer… and I felt like I had discovered plate tectonics myself! My immediate thought was “kids have got to try this!”

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS has evolved to be more intuitive and user friendly every year. It’s already at a point where my 6th-8th graders learn how to use ArcGISOnline independently over the course of about 30 hours in one semester… and some of my 8th graders are honestly better at spatial analysis than I am by the end of the semester. That’s powerful. That tells me that we need to give youth more opportunities to use this technology earlier… we shouldn’t wait until an undergraduate program to introduce people to GIS!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I guess I see myself as a GeoMentor advocate. When I started turning the technology class at my middle school into a GIS class, I had no idea what to do, so I reached out to the GeoMentor network and connected to some of my PSU professors. They got me from crawling to running in no time! I’ve since invited dozens of GIS professionals to my classroom and encouraged them to become GeoMentors. It’s important for my students to meet GIS professionals in person and see the huge range of applications for the technology. They’ve met people from Esri, MapBox, Quantum Spatial, Extensis, Portland State University, Portland Community College, and more! There are so many more classrooms out there that will never experience GIS without the encouragement and support of a GeoMentor, which is why I’m always encouraging GIS professionals to visit a classroom!

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? The kids in school right now are the meme generation; they communicate visually. That means they’re primed to communicate with GIS! I want the world to catch on to this perfect match and put GIS in as many classrooms as possible.

WebsiteFAIS ArcGIS Online homepage

Twitter@MrsSinclairMaps

    Share