Don Orr
My journey through academia has been a meandering and interesting one. After three years of study at Columbia with Ted and Paula, I went on to study abroad in London for a semester, then transferred to the University of New Mexico and San Francisco State University for a term each, eventually finishing my bachelor's degree in geography at UC Berkeley in 2009. After a two year hiatus, I then took up residency in London once again, completing with merit a Master's degree in cities from King's College, London, and accepting a position in the geography department there as a PhD candidate scheduled to receive my doctoral degree in 2015. Since taking cultural geography and anthropology from Ted and Paula, and especially as a person of rural background, my academic focus has always been on the study of cities from a physical as well as cultural perspective. My current research is on the role of housing in affecting health outcomes, particularly for private renters and owner-occupiers in the city of London, and exploring the effects of small domicile size (a common condition in urban British housing) on physical and mental health. While undertaking this research, I am also employed by a housing association as a research assistant, developing my professional background while simultaneously adding to my experience in field research.
Having been through many academic institutions as part of my development thus far, I can say that I have never been so challenged, yet so supported, as I was at Columbia College with Ted and Paula. Their tutelage has been absolutely key to me making it to where I have, and without their guidance, I am confident I would not have achieved what I have.