I Am West Georgia

Name: Andy Walter

Job title: Assistant Professor of Geography, Department of Geosciences and Coordinator of Global Studies.

What I really do: Try to figure out students—what they really mean, what motivates and interests them, etc.

Years at UWG: Six.

Before UWG, I: Was a graduate student in Tallahassee, FL, and Vancouver, BC.

I came to UWG because: Because of the people in Geosciences I had met on my interview.

One thing I would change about UWG: Maple Street—make it more walkable and interesting (more bars, coffee shops, quirky stores; fewer gas stations and parking lots).

I was born in: Laramie, Wyoming.

Family members are: Lexy and Millie Walter, ages 5.5 and 2.5, respectively.

People describe me as: Students claim that I “tend to ramble” in the classroom—so I suppose I would be described as a “rambler” (on the contrary, I would describe myself as a “contextualizer”).

Most colleagues don’t know that: I have two brothers who work overseas—my twin, a lawyer, works in Saudi Arabia (lives in DC) and my younger brother is an architect in London.

Favorite things to do: Adventures with my daughters, read nonfiction, play soccer, watch football and soccer.

Favorite quote: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist." (Dom Helder Camara, Brazillian archbishop)

Proudest accomplishment so far: Raising daughters who like to dig up worms.

Best advice ever received: “Let’s try it anyway . . .” (Lexy, daughter)

What I most want to contribute to students: An understanding that the world is not like elites (political, business, wealthy) say it is, nor should it be. Also, an appreciation for the value of an intellectual life.

The book everyone should read: The Big Short by Michael Lewis or Walking with the Wind by John Lewis.

The movie everyone should watch: Not movies—The Wire and Deadwood.

The place I’d love to travel to: Russia.