Michael Camponovo has been recognized for this work with electromagnetic radiation, but it’s his work as director of UT’s GIS Outreach & Engagement Laboratory that has earned him the recognition of Campus Career Champion by the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration. As director, Camponovo fosters interest and excitement about GIS and geospatial technologies while encouraging Vols to pursue a career in geography.
As a partner with the CCDAE, Camponovo plans the Geography Career Mingle each fall and utilizes alumni connections and his professional network to find employer partners willing to discuss their career with students to highlight the variety of career options in the industry. He researches and utilizes connections to find internships/jobs for students and shares them via email and a Microsoft Teams channel that he created for students.
Alexis Andershock, the CCDAE’s senior career coach who nominated Camponovo, said his willingness and desire to help students is inspiring. “He is a creative colleague that is always looking to improve career success for his students and ensuring every sub-industry of geography is included in the career mingle,” Andershock said. “I value our partnership and am honored to call him a colleague and friend.”
On the academic side, Camponovo coordinates the employer partners and projects for the GIS in the Community course (GEOG 420) creating real-world examples for students to apply their geography knowledge and get experience in the industry. He teaches Practicing Geography (GEOG 499), which is a career course that outlines how students can turn their degree into a career and prepares them for that process through resume and interview activities, doing so only after collaborating with the CCDAE to ensure the course outline and assignments matched their philosophy. In addition, during teaching, he utilizes “You Majored in What?” by Katharine Brooks, which is used in the career course taught by the CCDAE.
Camponovo is the second member of the Volunteer community to be recognized as a Campus Career Champion. Lisa Parker, a distinguished lecturer of Hispanic Studies and director of the Language and World Business Program in the College of Arts & Sciences, was the first in November 2021. Campus Career Champions exemplify UT’s Strategic Vision, specifically Goal One of Cultivating the Volunteer Experience, by promoting career readiness in and outside the classroom.