Ellie Cardenal
She/Her
I am bi/pan and I am a geologist.//
I’m a geologist, freshly graduated from NC State with my master’s degree. I consider myself a geospatial analyst, too! I’ve got a graduate certificate in GIS and my job is heavily focused on mapping and modeling to support the Clean Water Act.
My master’s work focused on reconstructing landscape changes over the last several thousand years using plant microfossils and sediments linked to human disturbances. The paleo perspective has bled into other parts of my life and made me a more critical thinker work better foresight!
I’m a child of an immigrant. My father was also racist and extremely homophobic. I grew up in a suburb of Jackson, MS, so I was surrounded by racism and homophobia outside of my home, too. I realized and accepted myself in my early 20s. Though it meant having no relationship with my father and others, I’m extremely proud of who I am! I’ve been through a great deal of trauma in my life. I was able to start healing when I looked inward, forgave abusive people while keeping firm boundaries, forgave myself, and practiced self love everyday.