Landon Romano, a 1999 graduate of the Department of Geography, established a textbook scholarship fund as a thank you to the department that made a positive difference in his career. The Landon Romano Textbook Scholarship is given out each quarter to undergraduate students enrolled in one of our lower division introductory courses to assist in the purchase of their textbooks. To qualify, students are asked to submit a brief statement about why they are taking their introductory Geography class and what they hope to gain from it.
2009 Fall Quarter entries from students in Geography 5 and 12 included the following:
- “I am honestly not entirely sure why I am taking Geography 5. I am very interested in the sciences so I’m sure that had some bearing in my selection. My orientation supervisor said it was good class so I took it. Geography 5 has become my favorite class and I look forward to learning all the things the professor has to say. I hope to broaden my perspective on science in general and I have a feeling that I may be interested in more classes in the Geography department in the future. Thank you for your consideration.”
- “I am enrolled in Geography 5 because I am an environmentalist hoping to further my understanding of human interactions with the planet we inhabit. As an avid newspaper reader, I also hope to broaden my knowledge about why certain current events happen where they do. For instance, why is the Galapagos government currently exiling native Galapagos residents to make room for tourists? Why are places like the Galapagos so desperately dependent on tourism for economic viability? These are questions that fascinate me, and that Geography 5 can help me answer.”
- “As a freshman I decided to take Geography12 to fulfill one of my general education requirements. The class seemed interesting and there were many spots available. When you are forced to pick your classes within a matter of minutes, you will take what you can get and I was lucky enough to come across this class. I am looking forward to learning new information about maps. Many people think all maps are the same and I am ready to learn how to explain to them all the different projections thus stating, all maps are not the same. Professor Clarke said that we will actually get to hands on learn how to use a GPS and learn to get from one place to another. For a ‘getting lost-prone’ girl, learning all this information does not sound like a bad idea.
The Department gave out 6 awards this quarter; 3 awards of $137 to cover the cost of the Geography 5 text and 3 awards of $118 to cover the cost of the Geography 12 text. Student thank you notes to Mr. Landon included the following:
- “I would just like to thank you for the Landon Romano Geography Textbook Scholarship Award. I greatly appreciate your kindness in supporting students, especially during these economic hardships. This award will definitely help me with textbook fees and encourage me to work hard and be ambitious when it comes to my classes. Once again I would just like to thank you for your compassion and support.”
- “I would like to thank you greatly for this generous gift. It is much appreciated in a time of budget cuts and fiscal woes. I wrote my application without expecting anything but I would like to thank you and Professor Montello for choosing me as a recipient. I am studying to become a wildlife biologist and would like you to know that I will use the money to further my goals.”
All of the UCSB Department of Geography would like thank Landon for his generosity to and continued support of our undergraduates—and, to echo Lisa Berry’s words, we’d all like to wish him an amazing holiday season as well!
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