One of Extension's Rising Stars

Rachel Ginsberg

Since September of 2006, Rachel Ginsberg, 25, has been to Texas, Ohio, Oregon and Cincinnati, yet while she visited those places, she never left her office in Irvine.

"I've been all over the country," Rachel said, laughing.

Rachel is a GIS technician for Rand McNally, a prominent publisher of maps, atlases and globes for travel, commercial and educational purposes. Rand McNally hired Rachel last September, only three weeks after she completed the GIS Summer School at UCR Extension.

Just two months before, Rachel, who is also a UCR graduate, wasn't sure what she was going to do for a living. She had earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from UCR and after an aborted attempt at graduate school in Michigan, she returned to Riverside and started looking for work. Rachel found nothing that truly interested her. She figured she would get a teaching job.

"I was originally looking for a teaching credential," Rachel said.

While researching credentials online, Rachel stumbled upon the GIS Summer School Program. Geographic Information Systems is a computer system that captures, manages, analyzes and displays all forms of geographic data. Today, GIS is used in a variety of industries, including the military, law enforcement, health care, urban planning and development, banking and education.

"I didn't really know anything about GIS," Rachel said. Rachel also knew little about the host of opportunities offered by UCR Extension to lifelong learners. "I knew the Extension Center had a reputation for having a lot of international students. It seemed to apply to them."

Students able to devote their energies to full-time studies in the GIS Summer School at UCR Extension can earn a GIS certificate within two months.

"I loved it," Rachel said. "I took a couple of GPS (Global Positioning System) courses after I finished the GIS program."

Rachel was also impressed with her fellow students, who were of all ages and all walks of life. Some classmates were experienced GIS users seeking career advancement. Others were novices like her.

When Rachel was in college, she wanted to become a navigator for the Air Force and help pilots find their destinations. Health issues forced her to forsake that dream. That dream has rekindled itself, reappearing in a different form.

Today, Rachel helps countless travelers find their way throughout the United States.

"I think this is the perfect place for me," Rachel said.